O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?
by cand13
Summary: "What would you do if you ever find Pandora?" "I'd destroy it." "What if you can't?" "I'll find a way." "And if you wanting to destroy Pandora turn us into enemies?" Kaito x Shinichi
1. Ch1: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou

O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?

Summary: "What would you do if you ever find Pandora?" "I'd destroy it, of course." "What if you can't?" "I'll find a way." "And what if you wanting to destroy Pandora turn us into enemies?"

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><p>Author's note: I just want to thank everyone who reviewed my first ever fan fiction: That's Mine! They made very super happy. Thank you! ~(^_^~) ~(^_^)~ (~^_^)~<p>

Also for this story, Conan never happened. Please enjoy~ (Rating note: I wasn't sure which to pick, so I think T is ok?)

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

Warning: Shounen-ai (Kaito x Shinichi)

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><p><strong>Chapter 1:<strong>

With a frown on his face and chin propped in his hand, Kuroba Kaito completely ignored the teacher as she droned on about something or other. He's not sure what class he's in right now, nor does he care. Not like it really mattered or that the teacher really minded. On the contrary, she was glad to have his attention elsewhere. A Kuroba Kaito that pays attention to class is usually one that _really_ pays attention to the class. That meant chaos directed to the classroom as a whole; teacher, classmates, and the room itself included. So there was no reason for her to reprimand him and left him to his daydreaming. The rest of the class seemed to agree with this decision.

Just the other day he somehow set off the sprinklers with the Bunsen burner causing the whole room to have pink splatter all over the place. None of the teachers have yet to figure out how he got food coloring (of all things) into the sprinkler system. Some of the girls' uniform still had stains on them, the boys were lucky they wore black.

Staring at the sky, Kaito sat thinking of the night before. He had just completed his heist and had his post-heist date ready and set up (his mother had baked him a chocolate cake to bring), but his date, _KID's _date, never showed. It was something he should have known would happen eventually, but he felt disappointed anyway. It's not like this detective shows up at all of his heists, only when he had the time; there were bigger fi-, ah criminals to catch after all.

But it's still not fair! They only meet at heists and the other hasn't met KID's civilian persona, so it's not like he gets to see the other all that often. He wondered what kept him from showing, better yet, why was a very well known and respected detective willing to date an international jewel thief and not ask questions?

-*/

It had started six months back. That particular heist started off normally, and ended strangely, or stranger than usual. Target was acquired, Nakamori-keibu got himself glued to the first floor, along with his task force, Hakuba was in England, and so his only threat was Kudo.

Kudo Shinichi, the savior of the police force, the Heisei Holmes, the guy the police goes to for help when a crime couldn't be solved. Every time this particular detective joins the heist, everything seems to always go wrong. It's like he knows what KID's next move is going to be before he does it; and that is downright impossible since most of the time he doesn't even know _what_ he's going to do. Especially when he's winging it; which happens all the time Kudo's present.

But really, that's all the more fun for KID. It's like having a surprise obstacle course laid out behind him where he couldn't see the pieces being laid out and he actually enjoys it. Kudo Shinichi is fun, difficult to outsmart, but fun.

He was being chased up a couple flights of stairs by the modern day Holmes, when he locked himself in a dark room with no way out. He had completely forgotten about this room. It was under his list of 'do not enter' rooms, because the door only opens on the outside. He wasn't even sure where the light switch was, at least there was a window to provide some lighting, but it was too small for him to slip out through; even the vents were tiny. The wind was blowing too hard for the glider that night, so the original plan was to sneak out disguised as a task force member.

He resigned to settling himself down and staying as quiet as possible, then call Jii-chan to get him out after everyone leaves. He was in for a long sit, as the Inspector likes to stay as long as possible to rant loudly and thoroughly check everything (and hopefully overlook the one room that opens from one direction).

Moments later, he flattened himself against a wall, hiding in the shadows, ready to run if need to, as the door slowly swung open. The light from the hallway spilled through revealing his pursuer.

"Well? Are you coming out? Or were you planning on spending the night here?" Kudo asked impatiently with a hand on the knob.

KID stayed where he was, boggled at the strangeness of the question. He could tell from the relaxed form that Kudo was letting him go without continuing the chase; nor was he making a move to arrest him. Or was it all a trick to get him close enough to handcuff? And he was pretty sure Kudo didn't see him come into this room, so how did he know where to look?

"You're just going to let me go like that?" He asked, coming out from the shadows after determining it was safe enough, not making a move to leave just yet. His mind told him he could easily disappear and 'reappear' behind the detective if he wanted to, but that'd be too easy and he really did wanted to know.

"Do you want me to arrest you?" A question with a question. He could answer with another question just for the hell of it, but they'll get nowhere at that rate.

"Not in particular. No. It's just odd that you're letting me go after that exhilarating chase you gave." He still didn't move. There's no way this thief was stupid enough to trust a detective, but this was getting interesting. He'd never really chatted with this detective before. Hakuba on the other hand, there's nothing worth chatting about.

"Then hurry. This door is heavy and closes on its own. And I'm sure you've already realized that it can only be opened from the outside." Again with the impatient tone.

Cautiously, KID ambled slowly (and maybe taking a little longer than he should have) to the door and Kudo moved to the side, allowing him room to leave. He stopped at the door frame and turned to give the other a curious look.

"Not that I'm not honored to have the great Kudo Shinichi chasing me or anything, I am by the way, but I've noticed that you've never really made any serious attempts in capturing or unmasking me. I'm sure someone of your caliber could do those things easily. So why?" Enigma, is the only word he could think of to describe this detective. The things he does are just as confusing as the magician, if he do say so himself. For instance, why is he, a thief, being let go so easily?

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but if you really must know, it's because your heists are entertaining and the only place so far that hasn't had dead bodies littering the ground. And I'm not about to put my only entertainment behind bars." He gave KID an arrogant grin.

That comment made him want to preen in pride and cringe in revulsion at the same time. _Right, no dead bodies trashing the place_. That is _not_ something he wants to picture happening at any of his heist, but it just may happen if Snake ever learns to aim for his head instead of his heart. Gotta love bullet proof vests; pain is still there, but at least he doesn't go home with a hole in his body.

"Reeeeally…" KID said thoughtfully with a finger under his chin, "I find that quiet disputable. I was under the impression that I annoy you just like everyone else, what with those colorful languages you use while running behind me. Though Keibu has you beaten in that area of expertise." He leaned closer to the detective. "What if I did this?" His hand moved quicker than the other could avoid it and he grabbed a fist full of the detective's shirt to pull him into a kiss.

If he was to be honest with himself, this was something he'd wanted to do for a while. At first, he just admired how smart the detective was, but soon, admiration turned it into more, and he'd always plan his heists with him in mind. Kudo is the first person to make his heist fun and something to look forward to at every heist. Not the boring task force that was too easy to trick or the annoying British Detective that couldn't figure his way out of a blown balloon or the depressing endless hunt for his father's killer or a magical gem that just might not exist.

The heavy door shut on them, forcing the both of them into the dark locked room. When Kaito finally broke the kiss, Kudo simply glared at him. "The door closed. We're locked in and it's your fault," he accused lightly, but didn't move to push the thief away.

KID only grinned in reply, his face just inches away from the beautifully annoyed detective, and his hands still fisted in the dress shirt. "So it seems," he said, unrepentant and went for another kiss. This time he slide his tongue over Kudo's lower lips, asking for entrance and was pleasantly surprised when the mouth opened up for him.

For a moment they enjoyed the slow movements of each other's lips and memorizing each other's taste, until Kudo had KID pushed up against the wall, taking control of the kiss. The thief subsided to enjoy the kiss from his favorite critic. He flushed when Kudo growled, tearing away from the kiss to answer the phone. He didn't think the detective would have willingly participated; he was expecting to be pushed away and yelled at. The purpose of the kiss was to see if he could annoy the other (and of course because he personally wanted to, too).

The call was quick and KID was too busy doing his mental happy dance in his bliss filled world to even listen to what was being said. Kudo glared at the phone before shoving it back into his pocket after hanging up. "I have to go," he said, walking to the closed door.

"The door opens from the other side. How do you plan on leaving?" KID teased, to which the other grinned back.

"Like this," Kudo had somehow opened a door that KID couldn't (_How did he do that?_), and proceeded to walk out. His hand almost left the knob when he was stopped.

"Wait!" KID called out and spoke again when the detective turned to face him and asked tentatively, "So, um, does this mean we're dating now? I mean, would you be willing to go out with me?" He was blushing and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. The person he had a crush on returned his kiss. That should mean something right? Just because he's KID, a gentlemen thief, doesn't necessarily mean he has experience in dating. He's just a teenager who has never gone on a single date in his life, unless you count being dragged around by Aoko, but those weren't fun.

Kudo quirked a smile at the question. "I'm not sure how it'll work out, but if that's what you want, sure."

KID walked up to him to give him another kiss, just a quick peck on the lips. "Great. I'll see you next heist then?"

His smile softens and his piercing blue eyes looked into the other's soft violet. KID could see the sadness in there and wondered what could be the cause of it. "Maybe," he sighed and walked away, leaving KID to silently slip away behind him.

There were four more heists since then, including last night's. The first, he had thought the detective was absent since he didn't participate in the chase. That left him feeling slightly disappointed, that was until he reached the roof. Kudo was there waiting for him, smiling at the surprised thief. Thrilled, he ran to give the teen a kiss, held the other tightly around the waist, and jumped off the roof to go on their first date. He was quiet happy with his decision to bring his sturdier glider as they flew over the city, enjoying the lights and views below. The date ended with him dropping the detective off at Beika Park and presenting him with a bouquet of white roses. He was rewarded with a beautiful blushing detective; the poor guy looked at the flowers in his hands as if he didn't know what to do with it. Kid left with a goodbye kiss and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The second date, he lead the detective on a chase to a roof a couple blocks away from the heist location; Nakamori and the task force ended up following a dummy in the other direction, leaving Hakuba alone and tied up in a fourth floor women's restroom stall.

He had Jii-chan set up a moonlit dinner for them with a single red rose as a center piece. Dinner was a home cooked meal from his mother; both Jii-chan and his mother knew about Kudo. He couldn't hide anything from his assistant or Phantom Lady even if he tried, so he didn't. Luckily they supported him and cheered him on. That date ended with another annoying phone call from who knows where and the detective was soon picked up by an unmarked helicopter from the rooftop. That was one extravagant exit; he knew Kudo was rich, but to own a helicopter? At least they had finished dinner first.

The third was spent walking peacefully at a nearby park. He really did enjoy just spending time with the detective; just holding hands, talking, and walking together. They've really never talked about their personal life; their topics were always something random and not so important. He had expected the detective to question his motives and reasons for stealing by now, but the other never made a move to mention it. Never once, did his critic ever ask anything about KID or who it was under the hat.

Would he answer though, if he was asked? That night he went home with that thought on his mind. Did he trust Kudo enough to tell him everything? The detective did mention that he only attended his heists for the fun of the chase and wasn't looking to arrest him. He was head-over-heels in love with a person that he wasn't sure he trusted. The more time he spent with the quiet teen, the more he finds to liked about him. He was witty, he was interesting, he wasn't annoying like Hakuba, nor was he a bore like Hakuba.

There was just one thing that bothered him, besides the whole detective thing, but he wasn't sure what it is. He only knew that when Kudo looks at him, those beautiful blue, blue eyes look as if they see right through him; as if he sees right through his poker face, secrets, and disguises (he's always too close to Kudo to not wear a disguise). But what could a well respected detective be hiding and what does he see?

The fourth heist, last night, left him feeling discontent and very not happy. Kudo didn't show for the chase once again and Kaito thought he was waiting on the roof like the other time. The roof was empty. He waited there as long as he could before jumping off the roof with one last taunt to the task force, Nakamori-keibu, and Hakuba.

-*/

Wondering what had kept his detective from attending his heist, Kaito "borrowed" the newspaper from Hakuba before class started, to see if there were any Kudo-related news that would explain why he didn't show. There was nothing. The only thing to catch his attention was an article about the Night Baron, a mysterious masked person dressed in a business suit under a dark blue cape, matching top hat, and his face covered in a full face mask with a painted creepy grin. Like KID, Baron is also wanted by the police.

Unlike KID, Night Baron silently breaks into buildings unannounced to gather information for the police and sometimes catching criminals the police couldn't catch themselves. According to the news and rumors, Baron is dangerous despite his involvement with helping with the law enforcement. He carries an actual loaded gun, shoots at suspects, and sometimes shooting the officers for unknown reasons.

The only thing to have happened that would have kept Kudo from attending his heist would be the Night Baron fiasco. Baron had led the police to the base of a large drug ring they were working on for months. Kudo could have been helping the police with the raid.

Not good enough. He needs his Kudo-fix and he needs it now. The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Jumping up from his desk to hop over the other desks and classmates in his way, he decided if the detective couldn't come to him, he'll go to the detective, but first he needs to lose Aoko & Hakuba. Looks like the both of them wants to question him today. Maybe he should have pulled a couple of pranks instead of daydreaming…

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><p>So what do you think? Constructive criticism is very welcomed. Was it boring? Too wordy? Not enough words? Is there anything that needs fixing? How can I improve my writing skill? Am I confusing?<p>

Please inflate my slowly growing ego and review. Thank you much!


	2. Ch2: Deny thy father and refuse thy name

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

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><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 2****: ****Deny thy father and refuse thy name;**

Scowling behind his history book, Shinichi took a quick peek at the clock hanging on the wall above the door; another half hour until school is over for the day. In the seat next to him, he sees Ran look at him and quickly averting her gaze again. She's been doing that all day. When he asked her about it during lunch, she just blushed and told him it was nothing and changed the topic.

Looking back to the chalkboard as the teacher wrote something note-worthy, he tried to ignore the other set of eyes from behind him. All these looks and eyes watching and staring at him are starting to get on his nerves. _Don't they have anything better to look at?_

Hattori Heiji, the detective of the west, had transferred to his class last week. Just because he disappeared for three days for time to himself, his self-appointed bodyguards decides to call in someone who can watch him 24/7. He'd allow the other to follow him just to appease his keepers, but more than a week of having eyes on him everywhere he goes is wearing him thin; he didn't think the detective would be this blatant about watching him. About the only place he could be alone in peace is the restroom.

The bell rang and he began packing his books, but looked up when Ran stood over his desk. "Shinichi?" She started hesitantly with a slight blush on her cheeks, looking anywhere but his face, "Can we talk in private?"

"Sure" He quickly put his books away in his bag and followed her out after sending a glare behind him for Heiji to keep his distance.

After changing their shoes at the front entrance, he followed her off the school premises and waited patiently for her to talk as she led him through a walking trail in the local park near the high school and into the wooded area before stopping.

It was a very quiet and romantic area that Sonoko showed her yesterday. Sonoko had convinced her to finally confess to her long time crush. "That detective dork is too dense to ask you out himself. _You_ have to take the initiative." She had told her.

The trees were starting to change to the various autumn colors, still clinging, but not yet ready to fall; very romantic indeed.

Ran gathered all her courage to turn around and look at the detective in the face to ask her question. "Shinichi," But then she noticed the distracted look on his face and lost her nerves. It's as if he wasn't really paying attention to her, like his mind is elsewhere.

"Hmm?" The smile he gave her, the same one he's always shown her since they were young, seems sad. It pains her to see it. She wants to change that. She wants to be the one to put a true happy smile on his face; not the sad melancholy ones he always give her. She wants to help him, like when he helped her to smile again after her parents split up. He's always there when she needs him, so she wants to be there for him.

"I was…just, um," she looked away from the piercing blue eyes and to the trees around them, pausing as she fished for something else to say, "wondering…if you'd like to go to Tropical Land with me this weekend." She mentally congratulated herself for the nice save. _Start slow, a date first, something fun_, she smiled to herself.

Shinichi shoved his hands into his pockets and looked straight up into the tree above him, thinking before looking back to her. "Sure. Do you mind if I bring someone?"

"No! No, I don't mind at all." She waved her hands around in front of her face, hoping the disappointment didn't show in her voice. She was hoping it'd be a date with just him. "Is it Hattori-kun?"

"Hmm, I'm sure he'll manage to find his way there even if I don't invite him." He smirked at the knowledge that the Osakan would most likely follow.

"Um, Ok. I'll invite Kazuha too then," she said excitedly. _We can make it a double date._ "How's Saturday? Great! See you tomorrow at school Shinichi." She waved leaving the detective there waving her off.

Once he was sure she was gone, he reached up to the lowest branch of the tree next to him and lifted himself up, climbing until he was a couple of branch lower than his eavesdropper.

"Wha-!" The other was cut off by Shinichi's harsh whisper.

"Quiet!" He looked to the ground, not once looking at the stalker.

Kaito, startled at Shinichi's quick and soundless ascent up the tree, looked around curiously wondering what was going to happen. Moments later, they heard someone yelling the detective's name.

"KUDO! Get your ass out here! I know your here somewhere!" A dark teen with an Osakan accent called out to the trees around him, occasionally looking at his cell phone screen.

He ducked when something glinted in the corner of his eye, coming towards him. Bending down to retrieve the watch off the ground, he noticed a note attached. "Leave me alone." He didn't bother looking up knowing full well that if Kudo didn't want to be seen, then there was no point in trying.

"Very funny, Kudo. You're getting too old for this. And you do know you have more than just this watch, right?" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed in resignation. "Fine. One hour. After that I'm sending someone to pick you up." He called out before walking away.

Kaito watched as Shinichi heaved a sigh and relaxed to lean his back against the tree and stretched his legs out on the branch. He had his eyes closed as he turned his head to face the thief with his hands behind his head.

"You're not surprised to see me." Kaito pouted from his crouching position two branches above the other. He came straight from school and didn't think to put on a disguise; he has only one set with him right now and they were Aoko's uniform. He was only going to watch the detective for a bit and wasn't planning on getting caught. It's not like the detective would know if this was a disguise or not anyway. Would he?

Slowly opening his eyes, the detective gave the person above a knowing smirk. "You were following me ever since I entered the park. Kind of hard to not notice."

"Only you could have noticed," He could feel his heart skip a beat when those blue eyes looked right at him. "Who's the girl? Are you cheating on me?" He knew he was being a grouch, but he couldn't help it. That girl could see Shinichi anytime she wants and seems very close to him. As to where KID could only see him at heists, but even then there were times when he couldn't. His detective missed last night's and he's not happy about it. He's KID, KID is a thief, thieves are possessive, and Kaito is no different. Kudo Shinichi is _his_! And he's not about to share.

"Mouri Ran, just a friend. She wants to go to Tropical Land this Saturday. Would you like to come?"

"Are you sure it's ok? She probably wanted it to be a date with just the two of you." Kaito said tentatively and surprised at the invitation for a daytime date despite not knowing his real name and face.

"Yes, I'm sure," Shinichi smiled as light lavender eyes look at him warily, and spoke with a voice full of amusement. "Kuroba Kaito, age 17, 3rd year student at Ekoda High School, amateur magician, good enough to be a professional, also known as Kaitou KID. But please leave the suit home this Saturday. It's nice to finally meet you without your disguises."

Speechless, Kaito wondered just how long had the detective known? He's never shown himself to Shinichi as himself before today. How could the detective have so much information about him already? Have they met before? Why doesn't he remember? He knew the detective was good, but that is downright impressive and scary at the same time. He's not in handcuffs yet, so it must be safe to not deny, right?

Shinichi watched on as the thief opens and closes his mouth to either deny the accusation or make an offhanded comment. Amusing as it was, he only had an hour before he was dragged back, so he changed the subject. "I have an hour free. Want to go somewhere?" He grinned at the other's quick change in mood. _This boy is interesting; it's never boring with him around. He's just an amusing person._ He especially likes the smiles and how Kaito always has a happy aura around him.

"There's this dessert place nearby that I've wanted to try, but haven't had a chance to go yet," He hung himself upside down to give Shinichi a quick kiss before dropping himself to the ground. "Hurry, before your hour expires." He waved him down, excited about finally having a real date with his detective in the daylight. He took hold of Shinichi's hand as he led the way to the café. "By the way, who's that other guy? I don't think he likes you very much. What did you do?"

"Hattori Heiji, my personal stalker." Shinichi deadpanned. "I'm the reason he's here instead of home in Osaka with his girlfriend. That reminds me. Don't sneak around shadowing me. Just come see me when you want, but call me first in case I'm busy." He didn't bother to mention other the other hazards that came with stalking him.

"Why do you have a stalker?"

"Long story." Shinichi said as they entered the café and found seats. They both read the menu in silence and gave their order to the waitress when she came by for them.

"Kaito," Kaito likes how Shinichi called him by his given name without his asking him to. Just hearing his name with that voice made him feel blissful. "I'm sorry I missed your heist last night." The sincerity in his voice touched him.

"It's fine, so long as you're ok. I was worried that something had happened, so I came to check up on you. I wasn't planning on getting caught or go on a date though." He grinned before asking seriously. "But is this alright though? To be seen together in public, I mean. You know, on a date with a guy, holding hands and all that. You are a very well known detective and all, and I don't want this to ruin your reputation or anything."

"It's fine. It's not like my reputation has anything to do with how well I work. People can say what they want." And he'd do anything to keep his magician happy.

"Speaking of which, I've been trying to figure this out for some time now, and I still haven't solved it. At the heist where we were locked in that room, how did you get the door to open?"

Shinichi gave him a smug look. "You're not the only one with fast hands. I placed a piece of tape over the door latch so it couldn't lock."

Kaito gave him a look of disbelief. "So you _let_ me pull you in?"

"Ah, no." Shinichi scratched his cheeks, "You really did catch me off guard. I wasn't expecting you to kiss me. I thought you were going to escape by locking me in your place."

The magician laughed at that and produced a red rose for the blushing detective. "What can I say? There was this beautiful detective taunting me. How could I not kiss him?"

The rest of the remaining hour was spent eating and chatting until Kaito spotted two men in black trench coats enter the shop, walking in their direction. He kept his eyes on them, hoping they weren't there to cause trouble, but was surprised when Shinichi took out enough money from his pocket to cover their check and got up. "Thanks for coming, Kaito, but I have to leave now. A pair of paranoid pups are here for me." He said looking despondently to the side where the two suspicious looking men stood waiting. "I'll see you Saturday?"

"Not tomorrow?" _Pups? They look more like overgrown Doberman and Bulldog. The not very friendly ones._

He shook his head. "I'm busy tomorrow."

"Oh," Just when he thought he could finally see his detective every day. "Ok. I'll see you Saturday morning at Tropical Land then."

He watched as the two black trench coats took their place on each side of the detective, thinking how it looks almost like they were leading their prisoner away back into confinement. The man with the long blond hair set off all sorts of alarm in his head when he turned to glare at him. Those beady green eyes sent chills down his spine. The other stout looking one just kept on walking, as if he wasn't there.

As soon as they left the shop, Kaito got up to follow; making sure the detective wasn't in some sort of trouble or worse. He only took a step out the door before a heavy hand was set on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Not sensing any evil intent, he turned his head to see the person that came looking for Shinichi earlier at the park.

"I need you to walk with me, Kuroba-kun," Kaito looked back in the direction Shinichi was walking only have lost them and the serious expression on Hattori Heiji's face told him that it must be important, so he followed as the other took him in the opposite direction.

"I'm Hattori Heiji by the way, detective and Kudo's best friend." His serious expression gave way to a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire," And made a puff confetti explode from his hands, "but it seems you already knew that. So, why am I following the great detective of the west and how do you know me?" Should he tell him that Shinichi was just taken away by two dangerous looking people?

The tan detective heaved a sigh. "You seem like a nice person and I don't think Kudo would appreciate you getting hurt because of him, so I stopped you from tailing them." Oh, so he knew. Then why isn't he doing anything about it? "As much as he irks them, they're not going to kill him, if that's what you're worried about. Of the three, Kudo's scarier."

"Who are they?"

"How do I explain it so it'd make sense?" Heiji's eyebrows furrowed as thought of a good explanation. "They're like lost puppies that likes following him around. Let's leave it at that."

"Ok, so, did you want to talk to me about something?" _Yeah, not making sense. I'll ask Shinichi next time._

"You could say that," Heiji said as thoughts of Shinichi's mental state when first arrived to Beika came to mind.

_After he a frantic call about a missing Kudo, a few choice words, and an explanation to his dad, he was on the next train to Beika. Following his 'Kudo tracker' on his phone (Kudo himself installed it for him and being the only one to have one, he was obligated to use it), he found the wayward detective in a mall, sitting at the food court staring off in the direction of a clothing store, smiling to himself. _

"_Kudo, what are you doing?" Heiji sat down at the table with him. "Your people are looking for you."_

"_Heiji, look! I found Kaitou KID." Shinichi said pointing without turning to look at him. The excited tone in his voice was very strange to Heiji. It was something he's never heard before, even when they were children. "The one next to the rack of green dresses, the guy that looks almost like me. His name's Kuroba Kaito."_

"_And? What are you going do about it?" He was sure that if Shinichi wanted to put the thief in jail, he wouldn't still be in there dress shopping with a girl._ Is that Nee-chan?

"_Watch him."_

"_Is that what you've been doing the past three days?" He held his chin in his palm in boredom as he waited patiently._ Nope, not Nee-chan, her hair's too messy.

"_Yes … It's been three days?" He finally turned to acknowledge the dark teed seated with him. "Heiji. What are you doing here?"_

"_Looking for you. Your neighbors were worried when you didn't show up when you're supposed to."_

"_Ah … sorry. I didn't mean to lose track of time." Shinichi rubbed the back of his head._

"_Is he that interesting to watch?" Heiji jerked a thumb in the direction of the store earlier._

_Shinichi brightened at that. "Yes he is actually. You should have seen what he did in class just yesterday-"_

"_You like him." Heiji stopped him from explaining any further._

"_Well, if it means anything, he asked me out first." And he went on to explain the heist that started it all._

"_That doesn't change the fact that you like him."_

_That was when Shinichi realized that yes, he did like the magician. A lot. That's not a good thing._

_Heiji noticed his eastern counterpart's crescent fallen face. "Kudo, let's go home and we can talk about it there." He placed a hand on the dejected detective's back soothingly. _

_They both took a seat on a couch in the library of the Kudo manor and Heiji noted that he's never seen Shinichi this emotional before. _This Kuroba guy is just throwing Kudo in all sorts of emotional loop. First he's excited and happy, and now he's got his head smothered against a pillow._ "Just what do you like about that nutcase anyway? He's a thief, a criminal for goodness sakes. And not a sane one at that. The guy throws himself willingly off thirty story buildings and openly taunts the police."_

"_His smiles." Shinichi mumbled into the pillow he hugged to himself. "It's almost as if he's free of all the disorders the world throws out there. Even when he has a mess of officers after his ass and people shooting at him, he smiles through it all, as if they don't bother him," His dejected voice alighting as he spoke. "And the more fun he has, the more he shines."_

"_And all you see everyday are dead people, angry people, frustrated people, people who wants to kill you, and people who needs your help. Right, you're surrounded by people who don't smile." Heiji scoffed._

"_That's not what I mean and you know it." He scowled._

"_Well, you do have to admit that he doesn't have your problem to deal with. He wouldn't be smiling if he has to deal with what you do on a daily basis."_

"_I know." He went back to burying his face into the pillow._

"_You could always just tell him, you know."_

"_Heiji. Do you know what KID's looking for?"_

"_No, never really thought about it. I just knew he's looking for some gem and returns what he doesn't want."_

"_Kaitou KID's target is Pandora."_

"… _Well, isn't that ironic." Heiji's eyes widen in surprise._

"_What am I suppose to do? I like him, but I don't know what he wants to do with Pandora. Should I tell him? Should I not tell him? If I tell him, it's not going to change the future any. Heiji, help me out here," Shinichi dropped his face back into the cushion, muffling the last bit. "I can't just discard what I am for him, and I don't want to bring him into my miserable world. His smiles would disappear. Just telling him anything would do that."_

_To see the usually calm and collected detective in this state resolved his decision to call his dad to fill out the transfer papers for school. He wants stay here and watch over his best friend for a bit longer to make sure he was ok, and so he knows there is someone for him to talk to if he needed. Even his father had to admit to never seeing Shinichi in that state._

"Look, Kudo maybe dense about his feelings, but I know for a fact that Kudo really cares for you. So don't go making him upset or anything and I'll help keep you out of trouble. The last thing Kudo wants is for you to be unhappy."

Heiji stopped walking and Kaito looked around, mildly surprised to find himself at the train station. He turned around to say something, only to find the detective of the west walking away, melting in with the crowd.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Thanks for the reviews and for pointing out my problems. I'm gonna go back and fix it when I get the chance~ And I don't know how to do Heiji's accent. So I'm leaving it.<p>

Sometimes, I really do wonder if I sound confusing or not. According to my sister, (who's an English teacher, but won't fix my writing) I'm wordy and don't make sense when I talk. :P

Please inflate my slowly growing ego and review. Thank you much!


	3. Ch3:Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 3: Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love / And I'll no longer be a Capulet**

Kuroba Kaito is excited. His teachers and classmates however are ready to call it day and just go home. The overly energetic magician is on a pranking spree; there was the switching the boys' and girls' uniform, birds flipping the boys' skirts (not something he'd ever do again; at least now everyone knows who wears boxers or briefs), then changing everyone's hair color with water balloons, and it just keeps on going.

He tried sitting as still as he could, but his legs kept fidgeting, shaking his desk and annoying Aoko who sat next to him. He couldn't wait for the next day to come. His thoughts were full of Shinichi, _his_ Shinichi. Even better, he gets to spend a whole day with the detective tomorrow. _He knows who I am, not just as KID! I can see him without heist distractions now. _He feels like dancing. He couldn't keep the giddiness at bay and grinned to himself when a mop slammed on his desk. Looking up, he was greeted with the visage of an angry Aoko in his uniform. _Perfect._

"Ka-i-to!" She growled. "What. Is. Wrong. With. You?" She swung at him with every word as he gracefully flipped, twirled, and skipped out of her reach, all while wearing her skirt. When she came close enough, he took her hands into his and started to waltz.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" He asked as they glided across the room.

"Yesterday you were moping. Today, you're too happy. What's going on?" She demanded, holding him up as he dipped and paused.

Ah, yes, his ever so faithful best friend is worried about him. He lifted his head up to give her a KID worthy grin. "Heee….you really want to know?" She nodded. "Then come with me to Tropical Land tomorrow morning." The bell rang to end the school day and Kaito was gone in a puff of smoke.

Of course, Kaito didn't realize his invitation was extended to other members of his class. The next morning, he opened the door for Aoko to find Hakuba and Akako behind her. Apparently they were also curious as to what the magician was excited about. Akako claimed that something was obstructing her from seeing his future and wants to see what it is for herself.

When they arrived at the train station he realized more than half of their class were there waiting along with them. The rest of the class was already on the train coming from other stops.

-*/

Shinichi, Ran, Heiji, and Kazuha were waiting at the park entrance for the friend Shinichi invited, when they heard his name being called. Turning their heads towards the voice, their eyes widen (Shinichi's in surprise, the others in horror) as a stampede of students came running in their direction with Kaito in the lead.

Heiji put himself in front of Shinichi as the group neared. Kaito came to a stop in front of their group and bent over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath, with Aoko and Hakuba right behind him doing the same; Akako looking unruffled by the run. "I'm sorry, Shinichi. I tried, but I couldn't lose them." He said in between breaths.

There's only so much he could do on a train full of innocent bystanders. Not to mention Aoko threatened him if he tried anything on the train. She thought it'd be a great idea to have a picture she took at an aquarium as her phone wallpaper. Running to lose them didn't help since they already knew where he was heading and it was hard to out run the whole group with Aoko and Hakuba tagging along.

Shinichi snickered behind his hand before bursting into laughter, causing the other three in his group to look at him as if something was wrong. Laughing is something he doesn't do very often and they've never seen him laugh this hard before. "Kudo?" Heiji placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't do things in small measures do you?" He said to the magician after getting his laughter under control.

Kaito stood up as if he wasn't just tired by the long run, buffing his nails on his shirt and looked at it. "Of course not," He said pompously, before grinning. "Shinichi, meet the class of 2-B of Ekoda High School," He rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Long story short: I kinda went overboard yesterday with the pranks and now they're all nosy." Then he turned to face his classmates, projecting his voice so they could all hear him. "This is Kudo Shinichi, the amazing Detective of the East. Now that you've all met, please leave. Or else." He snapped his fingers and two doves appeared on each of his shoulders with a water balloon in each of their beaks.

They all ignored his threat and pushed their way forward, chattering away excitedly. It wasn't everyday they meet a famous person (Hakuba's an exception, since they see him every day and he isn't nearly as well known in Japan as Shinichi is).

As much as he is use to being in the center of the spot light, Shinichi really doesn't like being fawned over. He looked around, flustered and unsure of what to do as they pushed and shoved against him for his autograph. Sure he's famous, but it wasn't often that people swarm over him in large groups as this.

"Back off!" Hattori shouted at them, just as an explosion of feathers appeared behind him.

Looking back, he sees Kaito, who was pushed to the back earlier, pointing up. Looking up, they were all met with the sight of over a dozen (or two) doves with small balloons in their tiny beaks. Hattori looks back to Kaito again, this time to see the magician grinning with an umbrella in his hand, holding it over himself and Shinichi.

Turning to look forward again when he heard screaming, he was hit from above with one of the balloons from the birds. Wiping it off his shoulders, he looked at his hands to see it stained blue, and a look at his shoulder where he was hit, confirmed that yes, he was indeed hit with a balloon filled with blue dye. Looking around, he noted that everyone besides Kaito, Shinichi, and the very beautiful girl with red hair were splattered with different colored dye.

Taking Shinichi's hand in his, Kaito ran towards the park entrance with Aoko, Hakuba, Akako, Ran, Kazuha, and Hattori behind them once they realized the two were making a run for it. They all hurriedly paid and made it inside the park without their extra classmates.

"Kaito," Came a dangerous voice behind him, sending chills up his spines. He slowly turned his head to the girl behind him. His eyes widen with fear when he came face to face with a school of colorful fishes on Aoko's cell phone. Screaming, he grabbed the nearest thing to climb as high as he could, which wasn't far considering Shinichi was the closest to him, and shut his eyes as tight as he could, mentally willing the screen the break.

"Nakamori-chan, could you put that away please?" Shinichi's voice was strained with Kaito nearly choking him. "Kaito, they're gone," he soothed the magician, patting his back softly, "You can let go now."

Kaito finally let go after taking a peek to make sure the offending image was gone and rubbed his back sheepishly. "Um yeah, this is Nakamori Aoko, my best friend, and I'm sure you've already met Hakuba."

"Nice to meet you again, Nakamori-san, Hakuba."

"You've met Aoko?"

"Her father's the head of the Kaitou KID's taskforce; I've seen her there a few times."

"Yes, we've met. Hakuba introduced us once at a heist. I'm glad there are more people out there that are willing to help put that thief behind bars." Aoko huffed.

"Indeed. Though, Kudo-san, I think you should know that Kuroba-kun is my main suspect of being KID." Hakuba wanted to see Shinichi's reaction to the knowledge.

"Kaito isn't KID," Aoko insists, "He has alibis for a couple of heists, one was me and the other was you. Remember?"

"Yes, I do, but I'm almost sure those were fakes."

"That's an interesting idea." Shinichi said. "I should keep a better watch on him then."

"Right you do that," Hattori said and pointed towards the thief they were talking about. "It looks like he's getting interrogated over there."

-*/

Ran knows she isn't nearly as intelligent as Shinichi or Heiji, but she isn't stupid either. Her women's intuition is telling her that Kaito is a danger to her and Shinichi's relationship. This was why she and Kazuha tried to get some information from him while the other's talk, but all they got from him before getting interrupted was that he and Shinichi met at a KID heist one night and became good friends.

"Hey Ran, Kazuha, I see you've met Kaito."

"Yeah, he's a really good magician." Ran said of his earlier 'show'.

Kaito felt relieved when Shinichi showed up. He's never seen it, but he's heard how vicious jealous girls could get and didn't know how he'd be able to handle it. For once, he was glad to have Akako around. _She'd make a great distraction._

"Why thank you. Just for that, let me introduce someone special. This is Koizumi Akako, a real witch. She does fortune telling to." _What girl doesn't like having their fortunes told? _While the girls were excitedly clamoring around Akako, Kaito pulled the detective away. Before disappearing, the witch gave him a smiling, letting him know that he owes her for this.

She had gotten a better look at the person who caught KID's attention while following him over. He too wasn't affect by her charm; she had thought only KID was immune to her charm. It was difficult to get a complete read on him, but she was able to get some interesting information.

"Have you guys see Kudo?" Heiji, Saguru, and Aoko walked over to the trio after introducing themselves.

"Those two have wondered off in that direction." Akako waved towards the game area.

"Oh! I didn't even realize they were gone," Ran said. "They were just here."

"Kaito does it all the time, we're use to it." Aoko answered as the group walked towards the game booths.

"What brings you Tokyo?" Hakuba asked the darker teen. "Are you working on a case?"

"A case? Nah. I transferred over because of this and that. Stuff happened and now I'm here. Speaking of which, we should catch up with those two soon before they run into some crazies."

"Crazies? The only crazy person I know of is Kuroba-kun." Hakuba said as they walked towards the game area searching for their wayward friends.

"Nah, that guy is a good crazy. At least he better be. I'm talking about the dangerous ones that Kudo attracts." There's no point in using the tracker since he knew they were still in the park. _It's just an amusement park, how dangerous could it be_.

"I don't get it." Aoko said confused.

"If you're unlucky you'll see what I mean. It's an almost everyday occurrence for him." Heiji said grimly.

"He's cursed." Akako said trailing along behind the group.

"It almost seems like it sometimes. Oh! There! I see them." Ran pointed them out.

They were at one of the shooting game booth with Kaito playing and Shinichi holding a few small stuffed animals.

"BaKaito!" Aoko yelled running towards them, causing Kaito to miss his target, hitting the shelf instead, that sent the cork ammo ricocheting towards Shinichi's face, who shifted the prizes into one hand and caught it easily with one hand. "Quit running off like that." She smacked the back of his head.

"But Aoko~" Kaito whined while rubbing his head where she hit him.

Shinichi handed the ammo back to the booth attendant and turned to pass out the prizes in his hands, one to each person, as an apology.

"What about me? Don't I get anything?" Kaito held both his hands out expectantly.

"No, it was your fault for leaving them behind." He teased.

The rest of the day was spent on playing games, riding rides and just having fun. Eventually Aoko and Hakuba left them to go off on their own.

It was evening when they heard screaming. The group rushed over to where the commotion was, with Shinichi in the lead. Not far from them, in the middle of scared onlookers, is a man holding a young girl with a knife pointed to her throat.

Shinichi looked around. "Where's Hattori?" He hadn't noticed he was gone.

"Kazuha-chan took him off somewhere." Ran said, pretty sure that her friend just wanted some time alone with her crush; which is something she wanted too, but couldn't seem to get Shinichi alone to herself.

"Dammit." He swore under his breath. He took stock of the situation where they stood, out of the creep's sight. "Kaito, I need you to get that girl to safety, Ran and I will take care of the man." They both nodded.

Kaito slipped away soon after, trusting Shinichi to have a plan. He's never seen or heard the detective this serious before, not even on his heists. It was almost scary the way his eyes narrowed at the dangerous man before them.

Back in the group of onlookers, Ran and Shinichi crept closer and both stood ready to attack.

A small puff of smoke appeared around the girl when Shinichi signaled Ran to charge in. The smoke cleared and the girl was gone. The man wasn't as surprised as Shinichi had hoped as he blocked their combined attacks.

It was apparent that their culprit has some martial arts background as their kicks and punches didn't land any critical hits. There was a pause as they came to a stalemate. Shinichi and Ran were on either side of the man still holding his knife.

Then all of the sudden the man lunged at Ran. Shinichi quickly moved to shove her aside, only to be stabbed in her stead. Ignoring the pain, he brought his both his hands down to the man's wrist, causing him to finally let go of the knife.

-*/

After Kaito had the girl safely in his hands, he brought her with him back to where they left Akako. Aoko and Hakuba also found their way there and they all watched as Shinichi and Ran fought with the armed man.

It was beautiful; the spins, the kicks, the punches. It was enough to make him feel a little jealous that it wasn't him out there fighting alongside Shinichi, instead of Ran. The problem was that Kuroba Kaito doesn't fight, KID does, and if he goes out there it would only cause Hakuba to be more suspicious.

He watched in horror as the knife pierced into Shinichi's side, but before he could react, Hattori ran in from somewhere, tossing his shirt to Shinichi, and knocking the guy out with a metal pole all in the same moment.

Handing the girl to Aoko, Kaito ran over to Shinichi, only to be stopped by Akako. "You shouldn't go over there." She warned.

Kaito shook her hands off and pushed past the onlookers to get to his detective.

Akako meanwhile looked to the injured detective once more before leaving the park. She's seen what she needed; now all that's left is to see what Lucifer has to say.

Kaito pushed his way through the crowds and made it to where Shinichi laid on the ground with Heiji's shirt covering the wound. From the looks of it, the knife was still in his side. The Osakan hovered over the injured detective, while Ran keep the crowds away from the culprit who laid just an arm length away from Shinichi.

"Shinichi!" He tried to run to his detective's side, but was stopped by Heiji.

"Nee-chan already called Megure. He'll be here soon. Explain to him what happened, he has our number if he needs us. And could you do us a favor? Tie that guy up so he won't be a nuisance when he wakes up. I'm taking Kudo home." Heiji said to the group. Aoko and Hakuba stood next to Kaito after returning the girl to her mother.

"Home? He needs to go to the hospital." Kaito demanded.

"I would have to agree with Kuroba. A stab wound needs to be treated at the hospital with stitches, especially one that deep." Hakuba said.

Shinichi, who was being carried by a now shirtless Heiji, turned to give him a smile to reassure him. "I'm fine. The knife didn't go in too deep. If it makes you feel any better, you're all invited for dinner. As a matter of fact, you can stay over for the night after the inspector is done with you." Shinichi offered.

"Right, let's get you out of here before you start dripping." Heiji turned to walk towards the park exit.

"Heiji?" Shinichi said tiredly. He wrapped an arm around the Osakan's neck and rests his head on the shoulder. "You're a lousy bodyguard." His other hand kept the borrowed shirt in place and mindful of getting blood anywhere.

"Shut up, Kudo."

That was all Kaito could make out before they were out of earshot as he watched them leave.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Reason why my sister doesn't check my stories for me: she don't like yaoi. XD Not that she has anything against gays or anything, it's just not her cup of juice. Though, I'd rather keep my tea and coffee (she doesn't like those either). Thank you.<p>

Also, lots of THANKS for all the reviews. They've made me really happy. ~(^_^)~

Again, critiques and reviews are welcome~


	4. Ch4: 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 4: ****'Tis but thy name that is my enemy**

It was a few hours later that the stout Inspector allowed them to leave. Kaito couldn't stop fidgeting throughout the train ride to Shinichi's house. Hakuba had escorted Aoko back home on a different train. She'd almost forgotten that she promised her dad she'd make dinner and made him promise to call her to let her know that Shinichi's ok when he finds out.

"Mouri-chan? Why didn't Hattori just take Shinichi to the hospital? Wouldn't that have been better?" They'd just got off the train and were walking the rest of the way to the house.

"I'm not sure, but I heard that Shinichi hates the hospital and that he's a horrible patient," Ran said, looking worried. "I don't think I've ever seen him go to the doctors or hospitals."

"Oh, don't worry about him. He'll be fine in no time. Heiji's always taking care of him and has great first aid skills." Kazuha tried to ease their worries.

They were already past the gates when Ran tugged on his sleeve to stop him. "Kuroba-kun, what are you to Shinichi?" Somewhere deep down, she didn't want to know. She saw the way Shinichi smiles at him. It was different than the sad ones he always gives her, but today, for the first time, she saw a real smile on his face. The cause of it wasn't her, it was Kuroba Kaito. Also the fact that he paid a lot of attention to her long time crush. It just wasn't fair.

"Uh…" _Couldn't this wait?_ He really needs to make sure the detective is okay, besides he wasn't sure how to answer her. Would Shinichi be mad at him for telling her that he's dating another guy?

"I've known Shinichi for a long time and I know all his friends, but I've never seen you before. Where did you guys meet? Why are you on first name terms already?" Ran was determined to get her answer before letting him in.

Kazuha stood next to Ran with her fists to her hips staring him down. Ran's her best friend and understands what she's going through. Just imagining Heiji with someone else was enough to get her blood to boil. She knew Shinichi well enough to not be jealous of him, otherwise she probably would have done the same with him.

"What are you guys doing?" Shinichi asked from the doorway, leaning against Heiji.

Ran and Kazuha flinched. They were so engrossed with their interrogation that they didn't hear the front door open.

Kaito looked up happily, feeling relieved that Shinichi is there to save him from the questioning.

"I was just, um, asking how you guys met, since you didn't really introduce us and all." Ran said weakly, embarrassed at being caught. Now that she thought about it, she should have questioned the magician on the train or on the walk here, instead of in front of the house, but she was too busy thinking about how Shinichi treated him differently than anyone else.

"You could have just asked me. It looked like you were about to maim him. I guess it's my fault for not introducing him properly," He slowly wobbled over with Heiji's help while he talked and placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder giving him a warm smile. "Ran, I'd like you to meet Kuroba Kaito. My boyfriend. We met at a KID heist. He's a huge KID fan."

That just made Kaito all warm and happy inside, just to hear Shinichi call him his boyfriend. He still haven't really told Aoko yet, but he's sure she's smart enough to make the connection herself. Just as he's sure Ran already did, but didn't want to admit.

Ran stood staring at him and stuttered, "B-boy…boyfriend?"

"Yes, and now that that's been settled, let's go in and have dinner-." Shinichi turned to look at Heiji when Ran ran away. "Am I supposed to go after her?"

"Aho! I can't believe you just did that." Kazuha said before running off after Ran.

"Normally, that would be a good idea, but I don't think you should in your condition." Heiji said dryly behind his hand.

"…I'm not sure what I did."

"Don't worry about. Kazuha'll take care of it. Let's eat. I'm hungry."

Just as Shinichi locked the door behind them, Kaito realized something. "Wait, why are you up? Shouldn't you be lying down and in pain?" He patted the other down to find his mid-section wrapped in bandages.

"In pain yes, but I feel fine enough to walk around. With my Hattori crutch. He did a good job of wrapping the bandages and taking care of the wound. Nothing to worry about."

The reassurance didn't help any, but Kaito let it drop anyway and took Hattori's place as his crutch. The blade was at least six inches long and he was sure it was pushed to the handle. There is no way he'd be fine just hours after being stabbed that deep. The flinches proved his point.

Heiji called Kazuha before dinner in the other room while the other two waited at the kitchen table. They could hear him yelling at the girl on the other end of the phone before he returned to give the phone to Shinichi.

"Hey Ran...Don't worry about it. I'm doing fine. What about you?... Yes, I am. Aww, Ran, don't cry. Where's the strong Karate Champion I know?… I'm sorry…Uh, Yes?…Of course, very good friends. How about I take you to dinner one day to make up for it?...Sure…If that's what you want…I will. You too…Yeah, Bye." Shinichi hung up with a sigh and dropped his head to the table.

"How'd it go?" Heiji took a seat next to him.

"She wants to eat at that new French place," Shinichi mumbled into his arms. "But I think she'll be fine. She took it well."

"What about me?" Kaito pouted.

"You get a home cooked meal," Shinichi smiled warmly at him, "Specially made by Hattori."

Kaito's face fell at that, making Shinichi laugh. "Don't worry, it's edible. I would have cooked myself if I could."

After dinner, Shinichi left Heiji to give Kaito a tour of the overly large house, while he goes wipe himself down in the downstairs bathroom.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Kaito asked worriedly.

"I'm sure. Hattori only managed to clean off the blood and that's it. I really want a shower though. I feel gross."

The tour ended 30 minutes later and Heiji led Kaito to the huge library to rest on the sofa while they waited for Shinichi. "Shinichi actually lives here by himself? Where are his parents?" He hadn't notice how big the house was on the outside in his panic and worry to see the detective.

"His parents … well that's something you'll have to ask him yourself. Just try not to pry into his life too much. He'll tell you everything when he's ready. Just give him time. He's already made it clear that you're special to him. And he doesn't live here alone. I moved in last week."

"I thought you live in Osaka."

"Because that idiot decided to disappear for three days without telling anyone, causing certain people to panic and worry to no end. So they called me to keep an eye on our ever loving detective so he doesn't to do it again." He growled. "And now I have Kazuha nagging at me to go back home."

"But why you? You live so far away."

"Closer in age?" He shrugged, "and because I'm the only person he opens up to. Him and my family go way back."

-*/-*/-*/

Ran wasn't sure why she ran, but she did. She ran as fast as her legs would take her all the way home and up the stairs to her room where she slammed her door shut.

Kazuha, who was only a few feet behind her, slowly opened the door that was slammed on her, to see Ran sobbing into her pillow. She knew how her friend felt about Shinichi. It was just too sad to find out that the person you like to have found someone else. Someone of the same sex even.

Heiji called her just as she entered the room. Good timing, she can vent her anger at him for Ran's sake. Ran sat up on her bed wiping her tears away, watching her friend yell at her childhood friend, a smile making its way on her tear stained face at her friend's antic. She was glad to have a friend like her.

Kazuha handed the phone to her and huffed. "Talk to Kudo and tell him. It'll make you feel better."

"Thanks." She said tearfully. "Hello Shinichi?...I'm sorry for running out like that. How are you feeling?...I, Are you really dating that guy?" She just couldn't hold it in and started to cry again. "But, I really like you. Like, like you. I was going to ask you today too…*sniff* You really like him don't you?…Fine, I guess I can deal with it. *hic* Are we still friends?...Ok, but I get to choose where…How about that new fancy French restaurant that just opened up near the mall…Great, take care of yourself…See you in school…Bye." She mustered as much courage as she could to sound cheerful towards the end, but once she hung up, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"At least I got a fancy dinner out of it," She tried to laugh through the tears, hugging Kazuha. "Thanks, Kazuha. I feel better, I really do. I just want to cry a bit more."

"It's ok, Ran-chan. Cry it all out." Kazuha comforted her as she cried her eyes dry. Then get back up, determined to try harder next time and to cheer Kudo on.

"As long as he's happy, that's all that matters." She declared to herself.

Kazuha smiled at that, glad to know her friend was strong and knew she'd be herself again in no time. And thought to herself, what if she was in Ran's position? What if Heiji found someone before she confessed? Would she have the strength to stand back up and cheer him on?

If that ever happens, at least she knows that there'd be someone she can come crying to. It doesn't matter that they live so far apart.

-*/-*/-*/

Kaito was looking over the wide variety of books in the library as Heiji sat reading a book he started a couple days ago. It's been almost an hour since Shinichi went to clean himself and they had finished the tour a while ago.

"Isn't Shinichi taking a little too long?" Kaito asked after noticing the time.

"Yeah," Hattori sighed, "He probably went out for fresh air and fell asleep somewhere." He took out his cell phone and pushed few buttons, before getting off the chair and pocketing the device. "Come on, follow me. He's in the back yard."

"Is that a tracking device?" Kaito asked in awe of the technology.

"Yep. My very own Kudo-detector. I've had to use this thing too many times to not rely on it and that ass knows it too. Sometimes I wonder if he disappears on purpose."

"Can I have one?" He wants one; the thought of always knowing where Shinichi is sounds tempting.

"You'd have to ask Kudo for it. He's the one that installed it for me."

"So, does that mean you knew where he was for those three days he was missing? Can I know?" Kaito wondered what had the detective's attention that no one knew where he was.

Heiji turned his head to give him a taunting grin. "You want to know? You really want to know?"

Now he wasn't sure if he wanted to know with that look turned in his direction. "Yes?" He said tentatively.

The grin widened. "He was stalking you for three straight days and lost track of time. I found him at the mall watching you in a store with that Nakamori girl. Never seen him that happy before. Good for him. He deserves to be happy."

Kaito flushed at that, not quite sure how he felt about that. A part of him felt thrilled and happy at the thought of being the attention of his detective for three straight days. Then there's a part of him that was shocked that he didn't notice he was being watched. He needs to be more careful. If Shinichi could stalk him without his notice, then there may be someone else out there that can too and they might not be as nice as Shinichi.

They found the wayward detective asleep on the lowest branch of a large tree behind the house. He had his back to the trunk, legs stretched out on the thick branch, one arm over his lap, and the other dangling off to the side.

"Does he do this often?" Kaito whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping detective. He looks so peaceful up there.

"Yeah. And if he's feeling really sadistic, he'd go up higher where we can't see him. Good thing he's too injured to climb any higher," Hattori spoke normally, already knowing that Kudo was awake. _The bastard's a super light sleeper. Probably already awake when the door opened._ "Please tell me you don't need help getting down." He called up.

"I'm fine," The injured detective answered back tiredly, not looking down at them. "Come join me. It's nice up here. There're a couple of empty branches on this side." He waved his dangling arm to his left.

"No thanks. I'm going to finish that book then sleep. You guys have fun." He gave them a quick wave before walking back into the house.

"What are you doing here, Shinichi?" Kaito asked climbing to the branch next to Shinichi.

"Thinking, before I fell asleep."

"Up here?"

"Yes. It's easier to think out here. The moon is up there, always there when I need her. Even when she's hiding, she's still there, patiently listening to everything I share with her." He held his hand out as if to touch the moon through the branches. "I'd go higher, but as Hattori said, I hurt too much to go any higher."

"What are you thinking about? I'll listen too. I am the magician in the moonlight. The moon may listen, but I can offer advices." He settled himself comfortably stretched out on the branch lying on his stomach and head in his arms facing Shinichi.

"You." Came an amused reply.

Kaito waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't, he urged him on. "Me?"

"You're the first to really hold my attention and I can't stop thinking about you. Your smiles are like the sun, bright and always there no matter the weather. You're more like the sun than the moon."

"Well if you put it that way, then you can be the moon and I'll be the sun gives you light." Kaito grinned.

"What is it about me that you like? You barely know me. Why me?" He sounds perplexed.

"Hmm… That's kinda hard to explain. What is there not to like? You're smart. You're beautiful. And you're fun. You are the first person to ever know what I'm going to do before I do it. Even my best friend since childhood can't predict me like you. It's like you understand me; and that's pretty hard to do." He chuckled. "You make my heists fun, I mean, it's always fun, but the challenge isn't there when you're not. And I really like being with you. Just seeing you makes me happy."

"You always look happy." Shinichi smiled. "How serious are you about me? I know you're still young and feelings change and all, but I want to know how you feel now."

Kaito lifted his, looking offended. "I'm very serious. I really like you. I've never felt this way about anyone else before. Only you." He insisted.

"Then what would you do if I moved to … let's say … England tomorrow?"

"You're leaving? I'd find a way to follow of course. I can always transfer school and my English is pretty good if I do say so myself."

"I'm not moving, just saying. You're not saying those things to flatter me are you?" Amusement was clear in his voice from since the beginning this Question and Answer session, but something in his voice says otherwise.

_Is he worried that I'd leave him? _"No, I'm serious! I don't think I'll ever find anyone like you again and I don't want to lose you. I'd follow you anywhere." Kaito was starting to get confused by all these strange questions.

"Even to hell?"

"If that's what it takes to be with you, then yes." He was determined to get his point through. Shinichi is finally his and he's not going to let go.

There was a pause and Kaito frowned, worried that he said something wrong, but the detective was still smiling looking content with his eyes closed, facing the dark sky. He found it very hard to read what the other was thinking about most of the time. Then the questions started again.

"What would you do if you ever found Pandora?"

"How-?"

"I'm a detective, I know things. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Do you know where it is?" Kaito asked hopeful.

"Yes, but I can't tell you," He teased, "Don't worry, it's being kept safe. Only a handful of people know where it is. So? What would you do if you do find Pandora?"

He hesitated, before answering. _Pandora should be safe in Shinichi's possession for now, right? It's not like he'd use it. __Would Shinichi show it to me one day?_ "I'd destroy it. Smash into bits and toss it in a coffee grinder for good measure before scattering it in space with other space debris, so no one can use it. Or just toss the dusts in the sea. Whichever is easiest."

There was a chuckle. "What if it can't be destroyed?"

"I'll find a way." Really, how can Shinichi make all these serious questions sound so not serious?

"And what if your wanting to destroy Pandora turns us into enemies?"

Kaito never took his eyes off the detective's face, gauging the way each questions were asked. He was still smiling as if the questions he's asking really didn't matter. "… I don't know." He answered truthfully. He wants to destroy the gem so no one could use it. Immortality isn't meant for human use, especially if they use it for evil. Like his father, he wants to find it and destroy it before anyone else gets their grubby hands on it. But what would he do if Shinichi won't let him?

He turned over on to his back as Shinichi crawled over to his branch. Kaito looked into those impossibly blue eyes as they stared straight into his and felt himself drown into those deep pools.

He put his arms around Shinichi's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Kaito wanted to assure the detective that he'll always be there if he needs him; that he doesn't want anyone but him. Maybe it's ok to just leave Pandora alone and leave it to the detective to protect it. Just as long as they can stay together.

He really wanted to ask what was wrong. He could tell something was up with those strange questions, but he took Heiji's advice and decided to wait for the detective to tell him himself when he's ready.

* * *

><p>Author's note: I don't know…all I know is, I shouldn't write after drinking. This chapter was originally written after a family get together, where everyone drank. It was very horribly written (it made sense at the time tho). I tried and I tried to make it make sense, but this is what I got. So many things were changed, taken off, and added on, but still...I'm not even sure how Shin-chan made it up the tree. T_T I'm sorry! The next chapter and the chapter after was also written in the same state and on the same night...sighs<p>

On another note: :3 Reviews, criticisms, and alerts in my emails makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Updates excites me~ :P


	5. Ch5: Thou art thyself, though not a Mont

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 5: Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.**

"Kudo! Did you sleep out here again?" Was the first thing Kaito heard the next morning, startling him awake. He jerked upright, almost falling off the thick branch. Instead, his sudden movement pushed Shinichi, who fell asleep on top of him with his head pillowed on his chest, off the tree.

He stared, wide eyed as the falling person gracefully kicked the tree to move himself further away from its uprooted roots at the base, pulled a back flip from that position, and landed in a crouch with a grace of a cat before falling on his rear end.

Jumping off the tree, he rushed over to make sure the detective was alright. He knew from experience how much it would have hurt to that with an injury. He's done it plenty of time as KID. He lifted the shirt to see if the wound reopened, but was met with clean white bandages.

He sighed in relief and put a hand to his chest to calm his rapidly beating heart. "Oh, thank god. I'm so sorry. I completely forgot."

"It's fine Kaito. It doesn't hurt that much anymore."

"But it still hurts, right?" Kaito asked worriedly. The flinch when he poked the bandage was enough to tell him so.

Hattori walked up to them, unworried about the stunt that was just pulled, "Don't worry about him. Here's an advice for you, if you plan on hanging around this guy more often. Don't freak out at everything he does. It'll save you from getting grey hair sooner."

Somehow, that advice sounds like someone would give about him.

-*/-*/-*/

It was a week later that he held another heist. Shinichi promised him he'd try to make it if he could. Something came up earlier that day that had to be taken care of and he wasn't sure if he'd finish in time or not, but he'd try.

It was five minutes before the start of the heist and KID is currently looking down on everyone from behind the tiled ceiling. Nakamori-keibu was standing guard right next to the target: The Heart of Eternity; a vivid blue diamond in the shape of its name sake.

So far he's seen thirty-three taskforce members littered all over the museum, Nakamori-keibu, and Hakuba, but no Shinichi. It was a bit disappointing, but he might show up later _He said he'd try to make it._

The appointed time arrived and he tossed a smoke pellet over the Plexiglas case that covered the diamond, startling everyone in the room. The smoke cleared and the diamond was gone. They all turned their heads in the direction of the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them to see KID holding the diamond over his monocle eye, grinning at them mockingly.

"Good evening gentlemen. As thanks for letting me borrow this beautiful bauble, a parting gift for each of you." He gave them a deep bow with one hand over his stomach, and the other holding the end of his cape out to the side. He threw down a handful of pellets in the same movement causing clouds of smoke of different colors enveloping every person in the room.

The clouds disappeared moments later, leaving all the taskforce in fluffy sheep costumes, Nakamori in a wolf's outfit, and Hakuba in a frilly pink & white knee length dress, holding a long stick.

"Hmm…maybe I should have switched the wolf and Mary around." KID said thoughtfully from the 2nd floor landing looking down admiring his handiwork.

"After him!" Nakamori growled from under the wolf suit, starting the chase.

"Nah, the suit the wolf perfectly." KID grinned before turning around to run.

KID lead them all around the museum working his way up, quickly loosing the little lost sheep to traps that were set up here and there. Soon it was just him and Hakuba left.

The British Detective was doing a very good job at keeping up with him. He's impressed, but it's still not the same. Since it was the two of the left, he decided to hurry up to the roof. Shinichi might be waiting for him there. He really wanted to show this blue stone to him. It was the whole reason for this heist.

Everything about the stone made him think of the detective. The beautiful deep blue of his eyes, the way he's stolen his heart, and the eternity that he wants spend together. If he could he would give the stone to him to keep, but just showing it to him would have to be enough.

KID was a full two flight ahead of Hakuba by the time he made it to the roof, but there was no Shinichi. He felt the disappointment ring through his whole body. Out of habit, he lifted the stone to the moon light. Under the light, the gem shone a crystal clear blue like Shinichi's eyes would in the rare times he laughs.

Hakuba threw open the door to see KID standing near the edge of the roof looking sadly into the gem. "KID!" He yelled as the door slammed open, but before KID could reply someone else spoke up.

"Not what you're looking for?" Hakuba and KID both turned to look behind them to see Night Baron standing on top of the roof entrance looking down on them with his hands in his pockets.

KID hid his surprise behind his Poker Face and gave the new comer his usual grin. "No, for once, I have what I want, just not the person I want to show it to." He answered off-handedly.

"Someone you fancy?"

"Hmm ... He isn't as fancy as he is beautiful. There is no word to describe my feelings, though it would be nice to know the feeling is returned." He said dramatically wistful.

"Who would have thought the great Kaitou KID would have love trouble? Interesting," Hakuba said thoughtfully to himself, completely forgetting he's in company of two wanted criminals. "And feelings towards the same sex too."

"Oh hush Tantei-san. You don't know what you're talking about. I have no problems at all. I am perfect. My love is beyond perfect. He's as perfect as this gem I hold." He flashed the gem in his hand teasing Hakuba with it. "If I could, I'd offer him my eternal heart." He held the heart shaped gem over his own.

"It is hard for some to express their feelings." At this the Baron placed his right hand over his heart, bowed slightly and took a step back to disappear over the side of the building.

"Baron may have gotten away, but you're not KID." Hakuba ran towards the thief.

"Well, as interesting as this night has been, I must also take my leave. Until next heist Tantei-san." And he too disappeared into the night with no sign of white to be seen anywhere.

-*/

Kaito quickly changed back into his street clothes and made his way to Shinichi's house to check up on him, wondering what kind of case he was working on that was keeping him away from his heist. This whole heist was planned just for him, and for him to not show just wouldn't do.

He'd just picked open the gate to the mansion when he heard a click and felt something cold held to the back of his head. He stiffened as a female voice spoke seductively near his ear. He didn't even hear her approach or feel her presence and he's usually good at that considering his night job.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? You're going to have to do better than that to make it past this gate. That half-baked disguise of yours isn't going to get you far." She giggled.

"Vermouth put the gun away and look again. That isn't a disguise. That's Toichi's son you're threatening."

"Boss! I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here," She exclaimed. "Toichi's? Really?" Then turned to take Kaito's face into her hands to study his face. "You really do look like him. Oh how you've grown!" She squealed while giving him a bone crushing hug.

Really, tonight's been one surprise after another. Three people managed to sneak up on him (Night Baron, this lady, and Shinichi), and what's this about his dad?

She finally let go and went along her way, as Shinichi led the confused magician into the house.

"You guys knew my father?" He finally asked when they took a seat in the library. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"She does, I've only met him once. He was a very nice man," Shinichi gave him a sad look and paused before continuing hesitantly. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but your father already found Pandora right before he died. He came to me asking for it, but I couldn't give it to him. So he sent out a heist notice to lure shooters out to the open and into police custody. The notice hinted that he knew where Pandora was, so the enemies killed him before he could pull the next heist and stole his next target, thinking it was Pandora.

"I'm very sorry," He took both of Kaito's hands into his. "I'm really sorry. I tried, I really did, but we couldn't make it in time. I knew they were going to kill your father. Knew when and where, but we were too late."

Kaito jerked his hands away from the other. "Is that why you won't give me Pandora? Is that the secret you've been keeping from me? That it was your fault my dad died?" He jumped from his seat to yell at the detective and ran out the door, not looking back. _How could he? How could he not tell me something that important? How could he not save my dad? He knew when and where, but couldn't save him. How could he leave that murdering bastard run free? Why couldn't he just give Pandora to dad and be done with. Dad would still be here and I wouldn't have to be a thief if he'd just hand Pandora over! _

He ran. He ran even when his legs didn't want to anymore. He ran all the way to his house and up the stairs to his room to bury his face into his pillow. And for the first time in a long time, he cried himself to sleep.

-*/-*/-*/

The next day, he woke up mid morning, tired and sore from the run. His eyes were dry and itchy and didn't want to open up. Then there was the sound of the door bell. His mother should be at work now, so there was no one else in the house. Slowly and tiredly, he dragged himself out of bed to answer the door to find a beautiful woman waiting. It was the lady from last night.

"Hello there Kaito-kun. Sorry for last night," She said cheerfully. "Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Chris Vineyard, a student of your father's. It's nice to meet you."

"Chris Vineyard, the famous actress?" What was a person that famous doing calling Shinichi 'Boss'?

"That would be me. I came by to talk to you about your father before my flight leaves, and by the looks of it Shinichi-kun probably didn't tell you the whole story properly." She smiled at him sadly.

"Ah, right. I'm sorry, come in. Have a seat in the living room while I wash up." He rubbed at his very pink and puffy eyes before leaving her in the living room.

After making himself more presentable, he came back down to see the actress looking at a picture of his family.

"You know, your father taught me the art of disguise when I was younger. He was always full of laughter and surprises. Every lesson was interesting. I'm sorry for what happened to him."

Kaito sat quietly across from her she retold the story of what had happened that fateful night.

"Shinichi-kun probably feels responsible for his death, but it was actually my fault. He did all that he possibly could. He probably would have handed Pandora to Toichi if he knew it would save his life, but that's something he can't give away easily. As soon as he found out, he panicked and called the police, forgetting that no one would take a child seriously. There wasn't much he could do, so he sent me out. I made it to the theater in time, but the stage manager wouldn't let me pass. I wasn't well known yet at the time.

"Thinking back, there were several things I could have done differently. I could have forced my way through or knock the man out, but I didn't. I thought there would still be time to sneak my way in.

"But there wasn't time. The stage exploded before I was even able to make it to the restroom to put on a disguise. I really am sorry. Please don't blame Shinichi-kun. He did everything he could. He even went so far as to track down the killer, they're very slippery and kept slipping away every time he got close. Oh my, look at the time," she looked at the clock behind him, "I have to get going so I don't miss my flight. It was nice talking about Toichi with someone again."

She left, leaving Kaito confused. _What's so hard about giving my dad the stupid gem? It's not like he'd use it. Would he still be alive if he was able to destroy Pandora back then?_

* * *

><p>Author's note: I will finish this. I will finish this. I will finish this. Life will not take over until I finish this! Sighs~ Why does my life have to be so busy all of the sudden? Sorry if it doesn't look as edited as it should be. I'm impatient and don't like waiting or making people wait, so this was rushed. XD Does it even make any difference than when I was taking my time on it?<p> 


	6. Ch6: What's Montague? It is nor hand nor

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

**O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: <strong>**What's Montague? It is nor hand nor foot, / Nor arm nor face,**

It's been a month since he's seen the detective. Not because he didn't want to see him, but because he wasn't sure how to face him after running out on him. In his mind, he's already forgiven him after talking with Chris Vineyard. But after all that's happened, he really wants to know why he has Pandora and why he wouldn't give it to his dad.

He's tried tailing him to get some information, but every time he tried, it's like the detective knew he was there. Shinichi has an uncanny perceptive when being followed or watched. He should have known it wouldn't work after the first time they met face to face, but he had to try. He felt bad about it afterwards though. It was almost like tailing a spouse to see if he's being cheated on or not, which he new Shinichi would never cheat on him.

After that he tried to piece the puzzles together himself. He knew that Shinichi was just as good as, or maybe better than, KID at being inconspicuous if he wanted, knows when he's being watched or approached from behind, good at sneaking up on people, knows karate and can defend himself, has great acrobatic skills, is very intelligent, can read his mind (_maybe? Well it seems like it most of the time_). Overall, he's practically unapproachable. And he hates the hospital.

And what was with the whole 'Boss' thing? They make it almost sound like he's the head of some big organization or something. With those two goons he saw that one time, it seems like it could be an evil organization. Or is he just being held captive or something? Kaito shivered at the thought. There's no way his Shinichi was evil and he's sure he could take care of himself if he was held captive. That doesn't seem like the case though, if Heiji was with him.

Kaito's not a detective. He may be smart, but putting things together wasn't his forte. Creative chaos is.

He tried to go on with his life as he should, remembering to pull pranks every now and then. But under the facade, he was feeling miserable. He wants nothing more than to see his detective again. Just reading the newspapers isn't the same.

He's even pulled a heist in the off chance that Shinichi would be there. Just a glimpse would have been enough. His detective didn't show.

Why couldn't he just go and see him? No the real question was, would Shinichi still want to see him? He ran off after yelling at him and blaming him for his father's death when it wasn't true. Who _wouldn't_ be offended by that?

-*/

One night, he'd gone out for a walk after dinner to clear his mind, something he's been doing a lot of lately. Sometimes he would find a tree to climb to watch the moon like he did with Shinichi. Then he'd go home to think some more. The thoughts would always go back to that night in the tree and the questions that Shinichi asked. He wasn't lying when he said he said he'd follow the detective anywhere he goes. He really did want to be by his side. He really didn't want to lose him. But then what is he still doing? Why isn't he at Shinichi's side? He wasn't sure. His mind kept giving him jumbled answers with more confusing questions.

Tonight, however, he came home to find Heiji waiting for him outside his house.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Shinichi?" He asked, genuinely surprised by the visit.

"You. Come with me. We need to talk." The dark teen doesn't seem to be in a good mood.

"Why should I?"

"Do you still like Kudo?"

"… yes…"

"Then come with me. Something's up with Kudo and it's got something to do with you. So just follow me and let me talk."

Worried about Shinichi and wanting to know more, he followed quietly and listened, as the other did most of the talking.

"Did you know that guy's been coming to see you every chance he had?"

Kaito shook his head, surprised that he didn't detect the presence of anyone following him.

"Kudo's an idiot when it comes to his own feelings. Though it's not his fault he's like that. Between this and that, he's got his reasons for being the way he is. It's like a self preservation thing. He usually doesn't keep people close to him, and until recently he's holed himself in that big house of his and only comes out when he needs to, or so I was told anyway. That's how people thought the place was haunted. 'No one lives there, but sometimes you can see the curtains move,' or some such.

"But a situation came up where he had to come back out into society, then he met you and for some reason, he can't get you off his mind. I guess it's only human to want to be with some. He's no different, just slower than others to find the right person. He may think otherwise, but he's still human somewhere in there. Just keep that in mind."

Somehow, some pieces of that conversation didn't make much sense to Kaito, but he kept silent and listened as Heiji continued.

"You can't tell unless you really know him, but he's been depressed since the last time he saw you. I'm sure that if it wasn't for the people by his side, he'd probably go back into his little hole and hide himself from the outside world again. The man has so many secrets that it could probably fill a whole encyclopedia and then some. I may know more about him than anyone else, but that doesn't mean I know everything there is about him. Lying and hiding has become so ingrained into his life that it's hard for him to come clean. Hell, he still hides things from me and I'm supposed to be his best friend. It's not like he enjoys lying, he's doing it to protect himself. Sounds selfish yes, but once you hear the reasons, it's pretty self-less."

Not wanting to lie when you have to is something Kaito understands. There were so many times when he wished he has someone to talk to who would understand why he's KID, but everyone he's close to are people who are determined to put KID behind bars. It's also put the other person in a dangerous position if Snake were to ever find out who KID's real identity is.

Kaito stopped in his tracks. _That's right. If Snake were to find me, Shinichi would be in danger if I hang around him too much. Maybe it's best if I don't see him anymore._

Heiji stopped once he realized Kaito wasn't following. He turned around and grabbed his arm to drag Kaito with him, not wanting him to turn around to go back home since they were already near their destination. "Look, I just need you to know that he's always out there putting himself on the line to save people. No matter what it seems like or what he's done, it's always to help someone. He seriously doesn't give a rat's ass about himself and that seriously pisses me off."

By the time Kaito realized where they were, Hattori was already leading him to up the walkway to Shinichi's house. They took the long way instead of taking the train so they could talk in private.

They went in and waited for Shinichi once more in the library. "He should be here soon." Hattori said looking at his cell phone.

Kaito took a peak over his shoulder at the phone and watched the red dot slowly moved closer to the center of the screen. As they waited, he wondered what he should say to Shinichi or if he should stay or if he should call off their relationship. Not five minutes into his dilemma, there was a loud banging on the front door.

Heiji rushed to the door and swung it open to reveal a man with mused up light colored hair breathing heavily, carrying an unconscious Shinichi on his back. It looks like there was blood on the man's shoulder where Shinichi's head lay.

"Oh shit! You! Stay right there and don't move!" He said to Kaito who watched from the library entrance. It wasn't like he could move anyway. He was too in shock from seeing so much blood on both Shinichi and the other man.

Heiji ran up the stairs and returned with a few sheets and a comforter, laying them down in the foyer. "Put him down here." He said pointing to the sheet. "How are you doing?"

Kaito stared in horror as Shinichi was laid down. It looked as if he's been shot in the chest. Fresh blood stained the whole front of his shirt and the back of the guy that carried him. Kaito didn't see any wound on him and in a small part of his mind wondered how he was injured, all the while staring at Shinichi.

"Not good, too much blood. I just regret not being able to finish university after dad went out of his way to pay for it." The other sounded like he was in so much pain.

"Hey, I'm sorry man. Just lay down and relax." He said as the light haired man lay on the comforter. When the other was down, Heiji took a hand that was clean of blood and held it comfortingly, turning his back on the unconscious Shinichi.

"I'm glad that I made it here. Hattori-kun, tell dad thank you for everything. And that I'm sorry for not being able to finish school." His voice faded as he talked, his eyes slowly closed, and he stopped breathing.

Heiji closed his eyes for a moment before pulling a white sheet over the body and turned take a look at the bloody detective. "Dammit. He's not breathing. Now what?" He said quietly, mostly to himself.

"He's not breathing?" Kaito yelled from his spot at the library door. While he felt bad about having the person that carried Shinichi die, the impact of hearing that Shinichi is too was greater. His legs buckled, losing their strength when he heard his detective is dead, and he landed in a strange sitting position on the floor. "Shinichi's dead?" He whispered.

"Okiya!" Chris called out as she and another girl used the door frame to stop themselves from their run to the house. They looked down at the sheet that covered the body and looked to Heiji, who shook his head.

"Could you take him out back?" Heiji said tiredly before moaning into his hands. "He's so not going to be happy."

Chris and the other slowly and carefully picked up the body, keeping it wrapped in the sheet and comforter, carrying it out to the backyard.

Shortly after, a sound brought Kaito back from his horrified trance and watched in bewilderment as Shinichi wheezed and coughed up blood. "Shinichi," He made to crawl forward on his hands and knees towards the detective before being stopped by a cold metal barrel held to his temple.

"Don't move." Kaito glanced to his side to see it was the man with long blond hair that came to pick Shinichi up from the dessert café, the one with the cold evil eyes. Just the sound of his voice sent shivers down his spine, freezing him once again in his tracks.

"Who brought me here?" The flatness of the familiar voice brought Kaito's attention back to the speaker, still laying on his back on the floor. It sounded as if it hurts for him to talk. Shinichi turned his head to looked straight at Heiji, who looked away, as he asked once more. "I said, who brought me here?" Still no answer. "Heiji, I know I didn't get here myself. Who brought me here?" The voice that had no emotions earlier was now laced with warning and danger if he wasn't answered soon.

"Okiya," Chris answered as she reentered the foyer with two buckets half filled with water and wet towels, setting them next to the detective.

"I see," Shinichi said with a sigh, his voice once again emotionless and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he slowly pushed himself up to sit with the wall to support him. "Close the door." He said before spotting Kaito. "Put the gun down, Gin. Kaito, stay where you are."

"What happened?" Hattori asked Shinichi, who was slowly taking off his jacket, wincing every now and then.

"We didn't realize the guy had a gun on him. None of the case notes mentioned the use of a gun," The other female of the group answered. She had a small purple tattoo of a butterfly wing under one eye. "When Fa-, B-, Shi-…" She stumbled and looked uncomfortably at Kaito.

"Its fine, Chianti, say what you want." Shinichi finally had his jacket off and was struggling with his wet shirt that's stuck to him.

Chianti still gave Kaito an unsure look before continuing where she left off. "When Father got too close, the bastard pulled out his gun and took a shot. I was in the wrong position to return the shot."

Shinichi by now had his shirt off and was in a bloody pile with his jacket next to him. With the jacket and shirt off, Kaito could see where the blood had come from. There was indeed a bullet wound in his right chest but what's strange is that there was enough blood coming out of him that he shouldn't even be moving. There was a disgusting wet squish sound when Shinichi dug his fingers into the hole in his chest, causing him to cough up more blood from the pain.

"Ugh, that's gross, Kudo." Hattori grimaced.

Shinichi just gave him a bloody and painful grin holding out a bloody bullet in his fingers to show Hattori, before tossing it into one of the bucket of water.

"Yeah, whatever, just hurry and get cleaned up. Shirtless as you are, I don't think Kuroba is enjoying the view."

Indeed he wasn't. He could feel the blood leaving his face, paling at the sight of all that blood, and the sound of Shinichi pulled out the bullet, it was just almost too much to stomach, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from him.

Shinichi finally looked up to Kaito again to give him a weak smile, and then went on to wiping himself clean with the wet towels.

"Oh my god! Shinichi we have to take you to the hospital!" Kaito exclaimed after finally got his bearings back and was able to think straight. _Is that Night Baron's mask and Hat Chris is holding?_ Now that he really thought about what he's seeing, Shinichi's outfit looks similar to the masked person's outfit.

Shinichi paused in his cleaning to look at Hattori who shook his head, "No. I didn't tell him anything. I only brought him here so you guys could talk. Didn't think you'd go and get yourself shot."

The injured detective scowled at the other who just shrugged it off, then waved Kaito over with a blood rag. "Come here." Katio got up and walked slowly towards him, afraid he'd do something wrong. Shinichi just gave him an amused smile as he carefully made his way over. "Don't touch anything with my blood on it." Shinichi told him quietly as he neared. His voice sound weak from pain and watery from the blood in his lungs. His cough caused a chain reaction of Kaito twitching from wanting to hold Shinichi and Hattori moving to stop Kaito.

He watched as Shinichi placed the blood soaked towel in the growing pile next to him. Then the detective reached into the bucket to pull out another clean wet towel and wiped it over the hole where the bullet entered. Clear of blood, he could see the wound clearly, then stared wide eyed as the hole slowly shrank, until it closed completely on its own.

Moving his eyes upward to take in the blood that had yet to dry around the lips and the amused, yet worried look he was given. Mouth gaping, open and closed, slowly lifting his finger to point at the gruesome person before him.

"Vampire!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> I blame this, that, stuff, and something for the delayed update and badly written chapter. ~_~

moo...


	7. Ch7: nor any other part Belonging to a

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 7: nor any other part / Belonging to a man. O be some other name!**

"Vampire!" He shouted, taking a step back and point his finger at Shinichi as if his life depended on it.

Shinichi managed to give him a confused look, while the everyone else laughed.

"You do have to admit you do have the whole vampire thing going. Blood dripping from your mouth, that black cape, the coming back to life after not breathing bit." Hattori wiped the tears from his eyes, still laughing. He took Chris's hand mirror to show him what he looked like.

"You're not?" Akako proved to him that witches were real, why not vampires.

"If only I was that easy to kill. I'd let any one of you stake me anytime." He chuckled as a depressing silence settled. He continued cleaning the blood off himself, not meeting anyone in the eye.

"So, um… then…" Kaito stuttered confused.

"Tomorrow. I'll explain everything tomorrow." His voice still sounded as if there were still blood in his lungs as he struggled to talk. "What happened to Night Baron?"

"For all the police know, Night Baron was shot and disappeared without a trace. Okiya managed to take you away while they were distracted with apprehending the culprit." Vermouth said. "Gin tripped him with a shot near his feet, slowing him enough for the police to apprehend him, but he somehow escaped just before entering the patrol car. Korn went after him at that point. I received a text from Korn about five minutes ago that they caught the murderer again. He's on his way back now."

Shinichi nodded. "Investigate that officer that handled him before the escape. Where's Vodka?"

"That lazy ass was asleep the whole time." Growled the scary tall blond man.

Shinichi chuckled, "Of course. You guys can leave now. Thanks for the help."

"Good night." They all said before leaving.

"Good night." Shinichi sighed. "Hattori?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you take Kaito home for me?"

"I'm staying." Kaito said firmly. He wants answers (no matter how weird it's starting to look), so he's staying until he had them. Besides, he hasn't seen the detective in a very long time (at least that's what he felt) and wants to make up for it by staying for as long as he can.

Shinichi gave Kaito a soft smile in understanding before turning to the other detective. "Hattori," he said softly.

"Yeah, yeah," Hattori rubbed the back of his head tiredly, and then looked to Kaito. "It's getting late, so let's get you something to sleep in."

Kaito looked back to Shinichi before following the dark teen up the stairs, leaving the other to finish cleaning up after himself. He followed quietly, unsure of what to say and still shocked by the night's happenings.

Their first stop was Shinichi's room where they rummaged through the closet to find some sleep wear for Kaito. He picked up the first set of flannel he found and went to the restroom to change. It was very comfortable and he liked it. It smelled like laundry detergent and a little bit of Shinichi. He was still hugging the sleeve to himself and smelling it when Heiji returned with some blankets. Heiji gave him a smirk as he was handed a comforter.

"If you missed him that much, you could have just come see him instead of avoiding him." Heiji leered.

Kaito blushed and quickly walked pass him to get back to Shinichi. They'd gone down to the base of the stair when he realized that Shinichi wasn't where they left him.

"Where's Shinichi?" He paused to ask, but the only answer he got in return was a nod of the head pointing towards the back of the house. He followed Heiji to the backyard, where he found the missing detective propped up against a tree with his eyes closed.

Heiji nudged him forward when his steps faltered from seeing the other detective glowing pink under the tree. The friendly push from behind had him walking hesitantly to the lightly glowing detective.

He stopped in front of Shinichi, with his arm full of blanket, to take in the sight before him. He looked peacefully with his eyes closed and otherworldly with the glow. It was like seeing an angel.

Then as if sensing himself being watched, Shinichi sluggishly open his eyes. Eyes so red that he couldn't help but stare entranced by how bright and beautiful they were. It reminded him of how the rubies he's stolen looked under the moonlight, but clearer. "Are you sure you're not a vampire?" was the first thing his mouth said when he opened it.

Shinichi gave him a grin. "Quiet sure."

Suddenly feeling unsure and awkward in Shinichi's presence, he turned his eyes to look at anything but Shinichi and fidgeted where he stood. They both could hear Heiji moving the patio furniture around and complaining about tangled hoses and stupid love sick air head that deserves each other.

"So…um…how – do you feel?" Kaito finally asked lamely.

"Punctured lung. Hurts to breathe and talk, but otherwise not too bad. Should heal up by tomorrow."

"Oh…um, I'm sorry for last time. I mean for running out on you like that."

Shinichi's smile softened as Kaito continued to fidget. Reaching up, he gave up a tug on a corner of the comforter that dangled from Kaito's arm, to have it spill on the ground next to him, then pull Kaito down into a hug. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It was my fault. I thought you hated me and didn't want to see me anymore. I missed you so much." He said with his chin over Kaito's head.

He felt warm. The glow coming from Shinichi was warm. He snuggled himself deeper and wrapped his arm around him.

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be mad at me for just leaving you like that. Thoughts kept running through my mind that maybe you didn't like me as much as I liked you or that you didn't trust me or that I wasn't good enough for you."

In the background, Heiji finally finished clearing an area for himself. He settled down for the night just a few yards away, pointedly ignoring the other two. He lay with his back against the wall and a boken next to him, closing his eyes to rest, but kept alert just in case.

Shinichi breathed in the scent of Kaito, feeling himself relax with each breath of the person on him. "I'll tell you anything you want to know tomorrow. Right now I'm too tired and I just want to hear you talk."

"Ok, but you owe me a bedtime story tomorrow." Kaito teased.

"Anything you want." He kissed Kaito's forehead before settling back into the tree trunk getting himself comfortable and pulled the fallen blanket to cover Kaito who moved his head to Shinichi's lap to watch the other as he talked.

"Yesterday I went shopping Aoko and we saw…" he picked something random to start talking about, his eyes never leaving the face above him. The beautiful ruby eyes slowly disappeared under the eyelids and the face smoothed out into a peaceful smile.

He continued talking for another 30 min and trailed off when other start to glow darker in color. He watched in alarm, his eyes widening as the light pink glow turned blood red. "Shinichi?"

Heiji cracked open an eye when he heard Kaito's uncertain call to his boyfriend and chuckled, startling Kaito to sit up and look at him. "And that," he pointed to the now red Shinichi, "goes to show how much he trusts you. I've never seen him that color before, only the pink from earlier and sometimes a little darker. Nothing to worry about, that just means he's deep asleep and it's going to be a pain in the ass to wake him in the morning. Good, he rarely sleeps well, super light sleeper and all that. You should sleep too." He yawned and closed his eyes.

He ran a hand over Shinichi's face, savoring the peacefulness that settled there before laying back down to sleep. The warmth from the body beneath him had him sleeping soundly, as if his detective was telling him to rest and sleep, into the morning.

-*/

The next morning Kaito woke to the sound of a door closing. Opening his eyes, he looked around and remembered everything that happened last night. He rolled over to see Shinichi still deep asleep and no longer glowing red.

"He's lunar powered." Heiji said in between mouth full of his breakfast, guessing at what the magician was thinking. Kaito turned around to look at the Osaka who pointed to his plate. "Want some? There's a lot more in the kitchen." He offered before walking over and crouch next to the sleeping form.

"Impressive," Heiji poked the other detective's face with the unused end of his chopstick. "He's still sleeping. Usually he'd wake to any sound, no matter how quiet." He continued to finish off his plate while studying the Shinichi as if he was some mystery to be solved; which in Kaito's mind, he is. There's just too much he doesn't know about his boyfriend. Apparently even there are things Heiji didn't know either. Just how much is he hiding from everyone?

Heiji got up and left to put away his empty plate.

Kaito grinned to himself as he thought of a great way to wake Shinichi. He planted his face just centimeters from the sleeping face, slowly closing the gap before he heard the cocking of a gun a few feet behind him, causing him to jump into the tree above him in reflex. He looked down to see a girl probably in her mid twenties with a bobbed light auburn hair and a butterfly wing tattooed under her left eye, pointing a rifle at him. What is with this place and people being able to sneak up on him so easily?

"What did you do?" She growled at him.

"Chill, Chianti," Heiji came back out of the house. "Put the gun down. He can do whatever he wants."

"I can?" Kaito grinned. He hung himself upside down from the branch he landed and placed himself face to face with Shinichi, feeling safe enough to turn his back on the weapon that was still pointed at him with Heiji there to stop her. Still upside down, he turned half his body to look at the woman as she accused him of doing something to Shinichi.

"He did something. Boss isn't moving." She gestured her gun at Kaito angrily.

Heiji lifted an eyebrow at the magician. "I'm afraid to ask, but what did you do?"

"Nothing yet, and well, seeing as Shinichi's still sleeping and won't wake up no matter what we do, I mean, you poked him with your chopstick and he didn't even twitch, so I thought I'd try the Sleeping Beauty thing. To wake him up with a kiss." Kaito answered cheerfully.

"Why you - !" Chianti growl before her gun was engulfed in smoke and replaced with a bouquet of wild flowers.

"Hmm…Waking up to a kiss sounds nice." Shinichi yawned.

Kaito turned his head back in happy surprise, then flipped down to land on the detective's lap to give him his morning kiss. "Morning beautiful. Sleep well?"

Shinichi opened his mouth to reply when Kaito was pulled away from him.

"What did you do to my gun?" The girl yelled, hitting him over the head with the flowers as if they were heavy enough to do damage, while strangling him with his own shirt. "Give it back!"

"Chianti, don't kill him. And Kaito, don't tease her."

"Father!"

"Okay~"

They both answered at the same time.

"Father?" Kaito looked from one to the other. He vaguely remembering her saying something about her father last night, but didn't think she was talking about Shinichi. Then again he wasn't really paying attention to much but Shinichi's blood. But that doesn't sound right. She's much too old to be Shinichi's child.

Shinichi chuckled at his confusion and waved over the group that just arrived.

"Kaito, I'd like you to meet my family. These are my children."

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> No, I do not leave cliffhangers on purpose. I just have a very hard time to find a place to end a chapter. I apologize. m(_ _)m

On another note, wow, I got lots of reviews last chapter. O.o I'm impressed with myself. No, wait. That's not right. I should be thanking you guys for the reviews and pointing out my mistakes. (^_^)/ and sorry for confusing people. Hopefully the explanation in the next couple of chapters clears them up. I hope…


	8. Ch8: What's in a name? that which we cal

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 8: What's in a name? that which we call a rose / by any other word would smell as sweet;**

Kaito almost thought he heard wrong. _His children? That can't be right. The oldest looked almost 40 and the youngest was the girl with the tattoo. Shinichi, no matter how you look at it, is definitely too young to have kids that old._

"Let's go inside to talk and have lunch." Shinichi said as he stood up and dusted the bottom of his pants.

Heiji shook his head and patted Kaito's shoulder in understanding. "Don't worry; it's just as nutty as it sounds. Also, I got us all excused from school for the day."

Well at least someone was thinking. Kaito had completely forgotten about school and it's already late in the morning. "What? How?"

"I called in a favor from that prick friend of yours. Told him to make a believable excuse for you. I figured he knows you enough to think of something."

"Hakuba owes you a favor? Since when? I thought you guys didn't get along, with the way he was ranting about you in class one day."

"No, we _don't _get along. He keeps complaining about how I disturbed the crime scene by barging in. All I wanted to do was to check if the person was still alive or not. Can't believe he thinks preserving the crime scene is more important than checking for a pulse. Anyway, he owes Kudo, not me. Just how many favors does he owe you anyway?"

"Enough for him to quit questioning why I keep attending KID heists when I specialize in homicide. He thought I was you in disguise since I tend to disappear around the same time KID appears." Shinichi grinned.

"I wondered why he kept harassing you at the beginning of each heist." Kaito returned the grin.

They all made a stop in the kitchen to pick up their own plate of food, taking it the library where they could all sit and talk without the formality of the dining room.

"So," Kaito said from his seat on the leather loveseat next to Shinichi as they ate, "if Shinichi is the father, does that make Hattori the mother? He does cook and all." He joked.

"Very funny. I have nothing to do with this messed up family." Heiji defended himself from across from them.

"If you want, we can demote Hattori as a maid and you can be the mother." Shinichi's joked, causing Kaito to blush.

"No!" Chanti exclaimed from the other side of Shinichi, glaring at Kaito.

"So you don't mind Hattori being the mother."

"At least he's better than a thief." She snarled.

"Yes, Kaito, they know. It's their job to know things like that," He reassured a surprised Kaito, before turning his attention back to Chanti, "And how is that any worst than what we do? At least he returns what he steals."

"I think it's cute. Kaitou KID and Night Baron together. You're made for each other." Said the famous actress from the wall she leaned on next to the tall scary blond and the beefy man. "I don't mind him being the mother. You have my approval. What about you Gin?"

"I don't care. Don't pull me into this pointless stupid conversation."

Kaito thought the situation oddly resembled a father bringing home his girlfriend to be introduced as their new mother.

They continued joking until they all finished their meal.

"Well then, now that lunch is done, Kaito, tell me what you know about Pandora." Shinichi sipped on his third cup of coffee.

"Pandora?" Shinichi nodded while the others looked somber. _What does this have anything to do with that cursed gem?_

"It's a gem within a larger gem that glows…red…under the…moon…light…" He faltered as he remembered Shinichi glowing red last night. Shinichi gestured for him to continue. "And that it cries tears of immortality and anyone who drinks its tears would become immortal." He looked at Shinichi suspiciously. He almost wanted to think that Shinichi probably drank the tears of immortality, but that doesn't explain how he was able to grow up with Ran and be Heiji's childhood friend, or what Chris told him about when his father died.

Shinichi closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully. "Is that what the rumors are saying now? Much different from the last time I heard it. And you want to destroy this gem so it wouldn't fall in the wrong hands." He sighed. "You can't destroy Pandora. I've tried."

"What do you mean? Where's Pandora? Can I see it? There might be other ways you haven't tried." Kaito tried desperately. It's what his father died for, to destroy that damn thing so that others couldn't use it for their evil purpose.

"I am Pandora." _Well that kind of explains some things,_ Kaito thought, _but isn't Pandora a gem, not a person?_ "And the rumors are wrong. While the immortality part is kind of true, it's only myself that is immortal. Immortality isn't all that great. I see people close to me die, while I live on. I can still feel pain, that gunshot was especially painful. As a matter of fact, it still hurts." He rubbed his chest where he was shot. "My blood is poisonous. Anyone who comes in contact with it dies, leaving no trace of how they died. The perfect way to kill someone if you really think about it."

He leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes as he told his story. "I'm not sure how long ago, but it all started with a group of alchemist who wanted to prolong life or make their own fountain of youth. I was just one of the many test subjects taken from their families, but I was the only sole survivor. Many children before and after me died. I'm not sure why I'm the only one."

He paused as he remembered the screams and cries for help that went unheard in the laboratory and the countless tests he was subjected to.

"I may have been the only survivor, but I was also a failure. I was kept locked up and out of the public because of how lethal my blood was. Just a drop of blood from an accidental paper cut could kill a full grown person in a matter of hours or days, depending on how much blood got on them. In the end, the experiments came to a halt and I somehow escaped. I knew there were people out there that could care less if my blood kill, they only want the immortality to themselves. So I've been hiding this from as many people as I could, not wanting the wrong person to know.

"One day I was accidently caught up in a hostage situation and was held at knife point. There was only one detective at the scent to dissuade the man from killing anymore. Unfortunately, the man pressed the knife too close to my throat and made a cut. Some of the blood got on his hand. Within 30 minutes, he was already feeling well, passed out, and died before making it to the hospital. I didn't care that the man was dead. I had already hated humanity at that point, but the poor detective was confused as to how a perfectly healthy person could die just like that.

"Unfortunately for me, he somehow suspected I had something to do with it, even though I was the victim. He was an usually sharp police detective, relied a lot more on his instincts than most. Something about him made me tell him about me and my situation. After that he took me in and his family's been my caretaker since.

"That detective happened to be Heiji-kun's grandfather. He was very dedicated and very caring. He just couldn't leave a child to fend for himself, no matter that the child is dangerous and was technically older than he was. I'm very grateful to him. He taught me a lot as a parent and as a detective. He's the reason I want to protect as many people as I could.

"That's why Night Baron was born. I went around and did what the police couldn't do because of law or the lack of evidence, to put people in jail. It didn't matter if it was done illegally, as long as no one else has to die at the hands of a murder. Night Baron was just myself, until I found a group of kidnapped children being raised and brainwashed to kill. Most were very young and haven't been taught anything yet and were retuned back to their families, but the rest I took in and raised them to help me. It was already too late and too dangerous to let them return home without supervision. Sadly, none of them remembered their real names, so I ended up keeping their code names, unless they made one up themselves. Why would anyone give alcoholic names to underage children is beyond me."

"Wait," Kaito stopped him, "You said you know Hattori's grandfather, you're immortal, you don't die, but Ran said she knew you since you guys were kids. Is she in on it too?"

"No, only the people here and Hattori's family know. I don't die, but I do age like everyone else. After a certain age, I regress back to the age when the experiment started, so I can grow to the ripe old age of 60 and de-age back to 7 in one night. Unfortunately, I don't get a say of when I 'die' and 'reborn'. It's more like going to sleep and waking up to find myself a few decades younger. Truthfully, I've yet to live past 30."

There was a moment of depressing silence that went over everyone in the room. It's been almost 2 hours since Shinichi started his story with pauses here and there as he remembered the past. The silence was broken by a stifled laugh from Chris. She paused in her laughter to tell her version of finding a young child in their father's bed and made him prove that he was who he said he was.

The rest of the conversations and topics were lighter than earlier, as there were laughters and teasings. It was just mostly Chris, Chianti and Heiji telling their tales. The other three (Gin, Vodka, & Korn), he learned, didn't speak much.

It was around 2 in the afternoon when they were interrupted by the doorbell. They all stood up and Shinichi motioned for the 'children' to leave through the back and for Kaito to answer the door; leaving himself and Heiji to clean up the room of cups and plates.

Kaito really should have expected it. Somewhere deep in his conscious he did expect it, but he was still surprised none the less when he opened the door.

"Ha-Hakuba? Shouldn't you be in class?" It was only 2 in the afternoon and it usually takes about 30 minutes by train, bus and foot to get to the Kudo's residence from school. So he must have ditched after 5th period.

"The same could be said about you. I came to ask Kudo-kun a question regarding a phone call I received this morning about you. Now I'm curious as to why you're answering his door."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> "Dear Life - Where were you when I first started this crap. Because of you, I now feel obligated to finish uploading the whole story. Thanks. Thanks a lot for popping back up into my life, causing me to have no time to type it all up and edit it."

And that my dear readers, is my reason for being super late with this update. Life has decided to come back take over my time. This story is technically completed and all written down in a notebook, I just need to have it typed up and edited. Also, this chapter wasn't checked very carefully, and probably neither will the rest of the chapters. Sorry! I just don't have as much time as before.

Also, thank you all for being patient. I will try my utmost best to have the rest up, um, eventually. _;

FYI: The ending is a bit cheesy if I do say so myself. :P


	9. Ch9: So Romeo would, were he not Romeo c

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

Warning: Did not have time to read through and edit, so please excuse the errors and Hakuba's lack of English-ness. I'm not very well versed on how they speak (as a matter of fact English isn't my first language _). I'll study up on it for next time? :P

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 9: So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,**

The morning started normal enough. His alarm went off at 6:30 on the dot, effectively waking him. He showered, brushed his teeth, got dressed, had breakfast, and left the house promptly at 7:15 for school just like always. The only difference today was the phone call he received from someone _very_ unexpected and _very_ unwanted. Why would that hot headed detective call him anyway? And right when he reached the school entrance no less. He glared at his phone in disdain before answering.

"To what do I owe the displeasure of this call?"

"Shove it Hakuba. It's not like I'm calling because I enjoy talking to you either. I'm calling in a favor for Kudo. Something about not calling you out on some mistake on some case or something and helping to cover it up by giving you the credit after giving you hints?" Saguru could almost hear the grin over the phone.

"Fine. What do you want?" Saguru gritted out. He's learned the hard way that Kudo Shinichi is _not _someone to mess with. The man would take any advantage he could get and hold it against you. Not to mention his information network seems to be of a higher level than his computers. He wasn't sure which is worse: Annoy Kudo or be annoyed by Kuroba. _Or maybe talking to this hot head._

"You're in the same class as a Kuroba Kaito, right?"

"Correct." _ What did that idiot do now?_

"Good. Make an excuse for him. He's not coming in today. His mother's out and can't call in for him." Heiji ended the call before Saguru could question him. Class would start soon, so he didn't have time to call back. He still needs to hurry to class since he was delayed by the call that caused him to stop at the gate and waste his precious seconds that he timed to get into class in time and not too early to have to change his clothes because of an early morning prank.

Time came and went slowly as Saguru sat in class, distracted by his own thoughts. He wondered what Kaito could have done to cause two detectives to detain him. If not to detain him, then what other reasons would there be to keep the magician out of school.

Sure, he has his suspicions about the other being Kaitou KID (no scratch that, he _knows_ Kaito is Kaitou KID, he just didn't have any evidence to back it up), but that doesn't mean he didn't care about his fellow classmate; even if he is an insufferable prankster that enjoys targeting him and his clothes. _The idiot grows on you. I can't believe I'm worried about that idiot._

After lunch, he took off to go straight to the source to find out what is going on: Kudo's house. All the clues point to Kuroba finally being arrested as Kaitou KID. Which slightly irritated him that someone else got to him before he did.

Then the trip there was spent on thinking about the enigmatic detective. He's worked with Shinichi a few times in the past. The dark hair detective is very quick at gathering clues and piecing them together. He's never seen anyone work that quick before. The only other person he knew to work that efficiently is a fictional character.

Saguru is not one to praise people often, but he actually admires the modern Holmes just as much as the original. The way Shinichi finds clues from the most obscure objects laying around the crime scene is amazing. Really, how could a stuffed animal that looks like it's been thrown on the ground in a struggle give away the identity of the murderer? He wasn't present at that particular case, but it was the talk of the station for the next few days after. Even the police admires his work and rarely question him as he randomly roams and prods around crime scenes. _Or maybe he's holding something against them too._

The person who called him this morning is another story. For the life him, he couldn't understand how someone of Kudo's caliber could stand working with someone that rushes in without thinking things through. Hattori's way of doing things contaminates and disturbs the crime scenes. Though, he will admit, Hattori Heiji is a decent detective once he puts his mind to it.

Now that he thinks about it, why _is_ the Osaka native doing here in the Tokyo area and living with his Eastern counterpart? Maybe he'll have that answered soon too.

Saguru walked up to the door of the large mansion and knocked. While he'd expected Kaito to be here, he didn't expect him to answer the door that wasn't his. But he _was_ pleased to see that his visit surprised the magician. He almost felt proud at the rare feat. The person in front of him was very hard to catch off guard.

"Ha-Hakuba? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"The same could be said about you. I came to ask Kudo-kun a question regarding a phone call I received this morning about you. Now I'm curious as to why you're answering his door."

"Well, if you must know, the master of the house has asked this humble servant to answer the door." Kaito held a solemn face and bowed deeply with both arms down his side. "And what did this phone call pertain to, so that I may jog my master's memory. He is such a busy man after all. What with so many phone calls to remember. Was it the one about how magnificent I am? No? Then the one about how cuddly I am in bed. No? Then it must be-"

"Kuroba! May I come in or not?" Saguru interrupted, annoyed with his antics.

"Well that's just the problem. I'm not sure if you're welcomed here or not, seeing as this isn't my house and all." And there's that infuriating grin that was missing from school today. Not the one from heists, the one he uses right before pulling a prank on someone.

"Kuroba," Heiji came into view behind Kaito. "Who's- OH HOLY SHIT!" His hands flew to cover his eyes as he turned his face away from them.

Hearing the commotion, Shinichi joined them in the foyer to see Heiji not wanting to look in the direction of the door. Curious, he looked to the door to find a very amused Kaito and a confused Sagur (with bright purple hair and his pants gone, revealing a matching purple boxer), both watching Heiji sputter and point in the direction of the entry way.

Shinichi's expression didn't change at the sight and just gave a tired sigh. "Hattori, it's just a man standing in the doorway in his boxers. You've seen me in nothing but a towel. You won't go blind. Kaito, give Hakuba-san back his pants."

"That's not fair! How dare you look at Shinichi when he's only wearing a towel? That's for my eyes only!" Kaito put Saguru's pants back on sometime during his rant, leaving his shirt untucked.

"It's not my fault he's a walking target!" Heiji shouted back.

Saguru couldn't bring himself to say anything. He's been de-pants and didn't even realize it. When did the Kaito get the chance and how could he not tell? And why does Kudo look unfazed by a Hakuba at his doorstep in his boxers?

He was brought back out of his shock by Kaito's question. "You're going out?"

"There's not enough food for dinner. Hattori cooked everything we had for breakfast and I'm sure he ate most of it before we woke up too." To which Heiji only grinned. "Come on. Hakuba-san, would you like to join us? Seeing that you came all the way, I'm going to assume you have something you want to talk about." Shinichi offered.

"That would be fine."

"What did you need?" Shinichi asked as they walked down the sidewalk away from his house.

"I was merely curious as to what you needed Kuroba out of school for." Saguru's eyes locked onto the two hands holding each other in front of him, then looked up to see Kuroba leering back at him.

Seeing Hakuba staring at their hands, Kaito decided it was time for some fun. Last night just wasn't the right mood for any fun. _Might as well play with Hakuba too while I'm at it. _He dropped the hand he was holding and pushed Shinichi against a brick wall that outlined the perimeters of a house they were passing. The pressed his lips against Shinichi's for a kiss. The kiss was supposed to just startle Hakuba, but that thought quickly took a back seat when Shinichi joined him and slipped his tongue into his mouth.

Really, Kaito has more questions to ask Shinichi. He could tell the detective left out some bits in his story earlier, but figured he probably didn't want to talk about it in front of others. He'll just have to ask later. Whether Shinichi is Pandora or not, Shinichi is still Shinichi.

The thought made him remember something he learned in literature class one day when they were learning about William Shakespeare and his play on Romeo and Juliet where Romeo spied on Juliet from under her balcony and she talked to herself. It didn't matter to her if Romeo was a Montague, he was still Romeo. The fact that he's from the family her family hated didn't change the fact that she still loved him. It's the same. It didn't matter to Kaito that Shinichi is the Pandora he vowed to destroy. He'll just have to find a way to help protect that secret with him.

Heiji forcibly turned a gaping Sagur around to face the other direction. "If you think Kuroba is the only nutcase here, think again. Kudo's just as nutty or worst. I have the shorter end of the stick than you do." He said attempting to be nice and distract the blond.

"How is that possible?" Hakuba scowled at him while trying his best to ignore the sounds from behind him.

Hattori however was managing much better, having gotten use to the two. "You don't live with one of them; you just go to school together. I live with one and see the other. And now I have the feeling I'm going to see the both of them together more often now."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"You'll see. I'm sure you've never seen a Kudo in his natural habitat have you? There's never a dull moment."

Well it's true. The only times he's ever meet the other detective were when they meet up at crime scenes coincidentally (or so he thinks) or at KID heists. This is a good opportunity to as any to observe the Heisei Holmes he admires (and actually owes for helping him from embarrassing himself in front of the police force).

The two on the wall had finally broken apart and they continued to the grocery story with Heiji and Saguru following behind them. Saguru was actually surprised the other wasn't as rash as he first thought. _Or maybe he's only like that on a case. His manner of speaking is a bit brash, but it's something one could get use to. _

"So what's it like going to school with that?" Heiji jerked his head towards Kaito.

"A nightmare come true. Ever had those dreams where you go to school in just your underwear? I, and a few other classmates, have lived that nightmare more than once. He's even switched the girls and boys uniform. Girl uniforms are not very comfortable; I don't understand how they can wear such short skirts in the winter. Every day is always something different. I'm actually surprised that we even manage to get any learning in with flying desks, random hair colors, new classroom arrangements and whatever else he thinks of. When he doesn't do anything, everyone's on edge and stress over what he's going to do next."

"Ugh. Dresses. Been there, done that. Not in school though. Undercover work and man! Does Kudo look good in a dress. Seriously though, school is the only peace I get. After school is when all the crazy start."

Then as if on cue, there was a familiar sickening 'thud' just a block away from them. Heiji heaved a sigh as the detective in front of him spoke warily, "Hattori…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Yes, cliché, but its Conan, so there has to be a dead body. And Heiji is there, so they fall. Right? Meh whatever. I actually forgot I wrote this and wondered why I'm so far from the end. -_-;

Why is Hakuba so hard to call Saguru? Hakuba just sounds so much better. He should just switch his first and last name.


	10. Ch10:Retain that dear perfection which h

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

Warning: I don't know how to kill people without others knowing.

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 10: Retain that dear perfection which he owes**

"Which building?" Heiji demanded as he shoved his way through the growing crowd of screaming onlookers to the building that was pointed out.

"Hakuba, go help Hattori secure that building and make sure no one leaves." Shinichi quickly ordered before turning around at having no response back. "Hakuba?"

The British Detective paled as he looked at the ground in front of the other detective. The body was faced down so he couldn't get a clear look, but the brown suit and short hair suggests the victim to be male. There was gunshot wound on the back of the head; blood was still spilling out of it, not to mention all the blood splattered on the ground where he fell.

"Hakuba!" Shinichi's worried shout startled him out of his stupor. "Are you alright? You can take a seat over there if you need."

"No, I'm fine." Saguru took a deep breath to help calm himself and tried not to look at the body again.

"Good. I need you take Kaito and help Hattori secure that building."

"I'm staying here with you." Kaito said firmly while holding onto Shinichi's shirt sleeve. He was equally as pale as Saguru, but kept a straight face, not letting it show how much the bloody body has shaken him up.

While Saguru is ok with corpses, he's never seen one that fresh as he was usually called to the crime scene after the body has been out for a while and never stumbled across them like Shinichi and Heiji usually does. Kaito on the other hand never had to deal with dead bodies before and was quite shaken up and didn't want the leave the comfort of Shinichi's side, even if it has to be near the body.

"Are you sure?" He placed a hand on Kaito's cheek and received a nod in return. "Ok. Hakuba, please help Hattori, I'll have Kaito help me with crowd until the police get's here."

Saguru nodded and took a glance at his unusually calm and quiet classmate before looking for Heiji, more than happy to leave the blood splattered body to the one that's seemed the least concerned with the gore.

By the time Takagi and Sato arrived, the body and the five story building has been cordoned off from anyone coming or leaving. Shinichi and Kaito lead the two police detectives to where Heiji and Saguru had the fifty-some employees waiting.

The building has different business operating on different floors and each business had about 8-13 employees, plus three cleaning people for the whole building. The victim worked on the fourth floors as an editor for a small book publishing company. According to his coworkers, he was a very decent man. Hard to see how anyone would want to kill him.

One employee from the 5th floor saw the man go up to the roof with the new cleaning lady that just started today. The problem now is locating her. All the exits were guarded so she couldn't have gotten out yet. Saguru remembered bringing someone fitting her description into the room earlier and had seen no one has leaving the room.

Working on a hunch, Shinichi asked for the building's blueprint. He sent officers to guard all the vents on that floor and Kaito into the one in that room. "Take this with you. He pinned a small button onto Kaito's collar. "You can use this to communicate with me." He pointed to a similar button on his shirt. "Let me know if anything happens or if you need help. Be careful, I'm sure she still has a gun on her. I'd go myself, but Hattori would have my hide if I did." He said, hoping that Kaito was calm enough to not make a mistake and get shot.

Kaito gave a mock solute and grinned, more than happy to put his KID skills to use to catch a killer. "Yes Sir!" And silently boosted himself up to the vent and disappeared into the maze of duct work.

"Why won't you let him go?" Saguru whispered to Heiji.

"Because he has a habit of getting shot and I don't want to clean up after him if I don't have to." Heiji mumbled.

"And he sent Kuroba who isn't a detective instead of us?"

"We're too big and wouldn't be able to move around as quietly as those two."

Saguru had nothing to say to that since it was true. After chasing KID and witnessing Kaito's constant pranking at school, he had no doubt about Kaito's ability to move around in small space with no one noticing. But he was worried about the gun still on the culprit.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Saguru heard some clangs and a thump echoing from the vent above and Kaito's cherry voice come from both Shinichi's and Heiji's direction, "Shinichi, the killer lady is out cold and in the hands of the law."

"Good job, Kaito. Can you get back here?"

Saguru eyed Heiji's button and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Got it from Kudo." Heiji sounded quiet proud of himself. "Got a lot of nifty gadgets from him and they come in real handy. There's a tracking device in this button thing, his watch, cell phone – don't look at me like that."

"You sound like a stalker." Saguru himself understands the handiness of having technology to help with case works, but the thought of having a tracking device on everything he carries just didn't sound very safe. Especially if someone were to want to off him and uses it against him.

"I'd like to see you try to keep track of him without it."

"Why do you need to go to such lengths to watch over him. He's a respectable detective and I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"Ha! Respectable? Sure he's got lots of admirers, but he's forgetful and eats when he remembers to, very bad at telling people where he is, and very prone to finding dead bodies out of nowhere. Once he disappeared for a few days, only to be found at a crime scene. No one could find him or get in contact with him. Megure-keibu even sent out a search team for him when Neechan reported him missing since he didn't go to school during that time."

"And they sent you?"

"Because our families know each other and it's even better since we're the same age and all. It's better than giving him a babysitter. He's too old for one."

To Saguru, it was Hattori that was the crazy one, not Kudo. But then again the other didn't even flinch when the body came into view. It was like it was the most normal thing to happen. _Or perhaps I'm the only sane one in this group._

Shinichi internally sighed, wishing Heiji wouldn't talk so much about those kind of things. Especially to someone like Saguru, who, if curious enough, may looking to things he doesn't need to know.

"Kudo-san, how did you know she was in the duct work?" Saguru questioned, just as Kaito dropped out of the vent.

"You said you escorted her to this room and that door is the only exit and entrance to this room, and there's no window for her to climb out of. That leaves the vent as the only other passage way, one that many wouldn't think of. I remembered KID doing the same once, so it wouldn't be impossible for someone else with a smaller build than his to fit through it."

_Of course, why didn't I think of it?_ Saguru felt ashamed for not thinking of it first after being around Kaito and KID so often.

"She's probably the serial killer we've been looking for. Someone's been going around killing males of about 30-40 years of age, they were all shot in the back of the head with a silencer. No one heard the gunshots, the victims are always found a few hours after being shot and alone. No witnesses and no clues. I'm guessing this time she couldn't get the victim alone, so she disguised herself to get close to him. She probably would have gotten away if we didn't get here in time; drop the disguise and walk out normally before the police get here. It's just too bad that a body had to drop in front of us just to get our attention." Shinichi said as they walked towards the policemen to follow them out.

It was a few hours later that they were able to leave after giving their statements and heard the woman' motive when she woke up thirty minutes after being put to sleep. She's 33, still single was constantly nagged by her mother about still being single at her age. The constant nagging caused her depression and the want of revenge on all her ex for dumping her.

Shinichi was correct in guessing it was hard to get the last victim alone. She tried to escape through the vent out of panic, but got lost in its maze.

"You guys go through that for every case? How time consuming." Kaito complained while stretching his arms over his head.

"It usually takes longer when we have no suspects or too many suspects, but this time it was easy. She gave herself away by running." Shinichi walked by his boyfriend's side.

"It's already late. Let's get dinner instead of making something." Heiji said suddenly.

"I can't believe you're thinking about food after that." Saguru said in disgust.

"What? You're still thinking about that body? It's been a few hours already. Flush it out of your mind." Heiji waved his hand over his head to shoo away the image of the body.

"It was kinda gross the way the blood went splat all over the place. I'm surprised we weren't hit by some blood sprays." Kaito said. Both his and Saguru's face paled just remembering.

"Try not to think too much about it." Shinichi said softly to Kaito, holding his hand while they walked. "We'll take our time and shop for grocery to clear our minds. I'll make dinner tonight. Hakuba-kun, why don't you join us?"

"If I wouldn't be imposing."

"Of course not."

"Are the others coming over tonight?" asked Heiji.

"No, they all have plans."

"Those kids of yours are scary." Kaito said.

"It's how they were raised before I took them in. You'll get use to it."

"You have children?" Saguru asked, startled by the news.

Heiji laughed before explaining. "No, no. Those kids of his are older than him. He's sort of taking care of them and letting stay in his extra house on either side of the mansion."

"That's…interesting." That didn't make any sense and somehow, for once, he didn't want to know.

They spent the next two hours taking their time walking to the grocery store and picking out things to cook. Their conversation topics went from anything to everything they could think of the cheer up the two Ekoda residents. Even with Heiji teasing Saguru ("Can't believe you'd get sick over that." "I'm not the only one. Go bother Kuroba." "He's not a detective, he has a good excuse.")

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> It seems what I said in the last author's note is a bit misleading, English isn't my first language, but I went to school in the US (English and writing was my worst subject because I just don't understand). The first few years was just a nightmare since I had a hard time understanding what the teachers were saying, I was just dumped in school with no understanding of the language. It's just that my vocabulary isn't as wide and varied as others are.

I write my stories with a dictionary open (gave up on the thesaurus in fear of using big words wrong) to make sure I'm using some words right (that could be why it takes me forever to type it up and upload). Even when I talk, I say random things and use words incorrectly and have to be correct. -_- But thank you all for the nice things you've said. It made me feel better about myself. Even told my sister (English teacher) and she laughed at you guys since you don't know me very well. XD


	11. Ch11:Without that title Romeo, doff the

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

I'm _SO _sorry for taking so long to update. And sorry if I messed up somewhere. It's been so long and I may have forgotten some of the changes I made from the original I had.

**O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?**

**Chapter 11: Without that title. Romeo, doff they name,**

After everyone's gone to their rooms for the night, Kaito knocked and opened Shinichi's door to find Shinichi seated on one corner of his bed with his legs stretched out along the length, back against the wall. "Hey," he greeted before entering, "I, umm, have some questions." He said, unsure if the other would want to answer them.

"I'm sure you do, and I still owe you a bed time story," Shinichi said fondly, walking over to Kaito and lead him out the door. "Just not here. Follow me."

Kaito found himself led to the same park where Shinichi found him hiding in the trees and sat under one of the larger tree, motioning for him to do the same.

"Why are we out here? Couldn't we have talked in your room or the backyard?" Kaito questioned.

"We could, but it feels better out here." He shrugged. "Besides, Hakuba is there. It's better if he doesn't get involved."

"That would be kind of hard if he gets suspicious. Hakuba's very persistent when he has an idea in his head. He still insists that I'm Kid even though he doesn't have any evidence." Kaito chuckled.

"It's what makes him a good detective. It's just too bad that he's too wrapped up in finding Kid's identity to see through the reason for Kid's being. Anyway, let me tell you a story that I've never told anyone before. Try not to fall asleep though." Shinichi grinned.

"'Kay~" Kaito sang and got himself comfortable, somehow moving himself behind Shinichi, and hugging him to his chest, settling his chin on the detective's shoulder. The warmth of the thief made him feel safe. Safe enough to let down his walls and share his secrets and his past. Really, after watching Kaito for so many years after Toichi's death, he'd fallen for the silly magician at some point, even before he became Kid. He knew he could trust him to his secrets.

Shinichi laid his head back on the other's shoulder to look at the dark branches of the tree as he told his story.

_-flashback-_

_He was tossed right in to a room with four plain grey walls with a steel door and a sad excuse of a window, so small that even a toddler couldn't fit through. It was the only way they could distinguish day from night, when the sun is up and when the moon is out, some days so dark that they couldn't see their own hands in front of themselves. The smell of urine, vomit and other odor attacked his nose, making him take a step back into the legs of the person who kidnapped him from his own living room while playing with a new puzzle his father had given him. The man just kicked him back in. Before the door was shut with a loud creak and the clack of the door bolt, the light from the hall streamed in enough for him to see a few other children around his age, maybe older, huddled together in the back of the room, whimpering, afraid of being pulled out of their sanctuary. _

_Being only 4 at the time, he cried with all his might when the door was shut behind him. The pain from being kicked didn't register as he cried for his parents. It was dark, he was scared, he wanted his parents to comfort him, to tell him that he was a good boy that that everything will be ok. He cried until he fell asleep on the cold cement._

_The next day, two men in dark clothes came, dragging him and another to a bright room. He fought and pulled as he was dragged there. The other boy would just follow quietly. They were strapped into a cold steel table where they were cut and experimented on. He wasn't sure what they were doing to him. It hurt. The same thing would happen almost everyday, until he gave up on fighting them. He was getting tired from not eating enough and crying. They were always taken two at a time. When they're brought back, they'd take two more. Sometimes, some wouldn't make it back and a new child was brought in not too long after._

_He wasn't sure how long it's been, but one day, they brought out a sword and stabbed him in the heart. They watched as he slumped on the table, not breathing. The scientists were about to order the guards to take him away and put him with the other failures, when he started to scream in pain. They quickly pulled the sword out of him and watched in excitement as he thrashed around and was amazed as they watched the wound heal right before their eyes. The stab from the sword quickly sealing up, leaving only the blood that poured out from the wound._

_Soon after, one by one, the children in the room with him died. None of the scientists knew how or what happened, since they haven't done any experiments after their first success, wanting to review what was done, so that they could recreate what they did. _

_Something in his mind told him it was the stench of his blood in the badly ventilated room that killed them. It seemed as if random knowledge made it in to his uneducated mind each day. The sun rises and sets each day, as does the moon; his mind telling him it's because the earth rotates around the sun and the moon rotates around the earth, using the sun's brightness to light up each night. The things he doesn't know and wonders about, somewhere in his mind an answer comes. And something, somewhere in his mind told him to not let the people there know._

_The experiments on him stopped. Instead they brought in new children who kept mysteriously dying in the room with him. One day they gave up on new children and took him back into the lab. This was his chance, his mind supplied. He stumbled and scrapped his arm along the catch of the steel door, cutting himself. Landing on the floor as he fell, he held one hand over the cut on his arm and waited for the two guards to bend over to pull him up, only to shove the cut into one's mouth and his bloody hand into the other and ran as fast as he could when they doubled over and passed out. _

_He didn't stop to make sure they were dead, only one thing was on his mind, "Run, run as fast as you can and get out. You're almost free." But then another thought came; he had to do something if he doesn't want any more children to go through the same treatment. The only thing he could think of was to get rid of everyone and the building, erasing all trace of the experiment, their data, and the people responsible._

_He turned around and ran straight to the only other room he knew had people. The lab. Killing off the 5 scientists there, he quickly found ingredients he needed; various poisons, acids, and chemicals. First he set the place in flames with himself in it. He wasn't sure how many others were involved, but at least the data, the lab is gone, and himself is gone, leaving no evidence of the one successful experiment. It didn't work. The building burned, but he woke up after passing out from the pain of the flames. He was still in the middle of the fire, instead he tried all the other chemicals he had hoping something would work. None did. _

_He woke up in the middle of the burnt remains of the lab. Every last flames extinguished by the rain that came the next day. Slowly, he got up and walked, going where ever his thin and malnourished legs took him until he reached a small village. He would sleep outside and rummage through trash for food or steeling to keep himself fed. He didn't need food to stay alive, but it was better than the feeling of hunger every day._

_Not too long after his escape, he was found napping on the land of a wealthy widow. The man felt sorry for the thin boy and brought him home with him to have him fed. When asked why the boy was underfed, he told him the first lie his mind supplied. _

_He was kidnapped when he was younger and doesn't remember where he lived before or where his parents are. The kidnappers killed each other one day in a dispute and he ran away, but didn't know where to go and ended up there. The man told him he could live with him. His wife died of an illness years ago and living by himself was getting lonely._

"_So what is your name? Maybe we can find a way of finding your parents that way." The man asked._

_The boy couldn't remember. It's been so long that he couldn't remember his name, his age, or anything about his parents. That was when the widow decided that he'll give him a name._

"_How does Shinichi sound to you? 'New One'. You can start your life anew here. We can have the paper works done soon and you can live with me as my son." And that was how he was adopted by the wealthy widow._

_Living with the older man was the happiest he's ever been. He had the love of a parent, learned to live without the constant fear of being taken to that lab again, care for others, and other things he missed as a child with his real parents that were taken from him. Everyday had been peaceful. He was finally happy. _

_But then one day, as he was in the kitchen helping his father make lunch, he dropped his knife and cut his finger. It wasn't very big, but deep enough for blood to drip. Shinichi stared at his finger unsure of what to do. The man grabbed his finger and pulled him towards the well to wash off the blood. Unfortunately, a drop made it into the food they made and killed the man soon after lunch. _

_Shinichi inherited the large fortune and land left to him by his adopted father._

_Years later, tired of all the marriage proposals and older people pushing him have a family of his own, he sold the land and moved around to different villages, towns, and cities, always changing his last name with each childhood that came with him, but always keeping the name that was given to him by the man he felt indebted to. The person who he felt saved him and gave him a life of his own._

_-end flashback-_

"Every so often, I would hear people talking about random things giving them immortality, like the Fountain of Youth, the Elixir of Life, the Holy Grail, Pandora, and the likes. Hearing those rumors keeps reminding of the past and to never let anyone know. Like you said before, 'if the wrong person gets their hands on immortality, it could be disastrous'. Up until Heiji's grandfather picked me up, I never really thought much about the loss of human life. I've seen war, people killing each other for food, it was an everyday thing to me. But Hattori-san changed my way of thinking. He's the reason why I want to save as many lives as I can and putting murderers behind bars." Shinichi ended his personal account of his very long life.

But in a quieter voice, "I've killed so many people, let so many murderers get away will killing others. There were so many deaths that I could have prevented."

Kaito hugged Shinichi tighter, nuzzling into his neck, trying his best to comfort him.

"Do you still want to be with me, even though I'm a murderer?" Shinichi turned his head to look at him.

"That's all in the past. There's nothing you can do to change it, but to do what you can now and in the future. You've already done what you can to atone for your past." Kaito's heart tightened at the sad, sorrowful, lost eyes looking into his. "I'd never leave you just because of something that happened so long ago. You're different now than how you were before."

Satisfied and feeling very happy, Shinichi relaxed once more in the arms around him, finally feeling at peace with himself. Something he's never felt before. Relaxed and peaceful. "Thank you." He said quietly.

"I'm going to guess from what you've told me that you can give another person immortality. I'm willing to restart my life as many times, as long as I have you with me. I don't ever want to leave you alone. You don't deserve to be alone forever." Kaito pressed.

Shinichi hesitated before speaking, "Yes, I can, but only if you're sure. I'd need a full moon. That'll give you enough time to rethink everything." Then he paused as he thought of something. "Speaking of full moon, that sniper of yours, I left him alone thinking you wanted to take care of him yourself, but I think he must have seen us having dinner together on the roof after one of your heist once. He decided to try and hold me hostage against you, so I ended up taking care of him myself. It kept it low key so you might not have seen it in the news."

"I was wondering why he hasn't shown himself in a while." Kaito said amused that Snake targeted Shinichi despite the detective's reputation.

"He's in jail for attempted kidnapping, multiple murders, weapons smuggling, and theft. He won't be out for a long while."

"So the next full moon?" Kaito looked hopeful as he received a smile in return.

"If you're sure that's what you want." Shinichi gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Great! That means plenty of time to introduce you to my mom and explain things to her."

"I trust her. You can tell her anything you want. I wouldn't want you to lie to her."

"I love you!" Kaito gave him a kiss feeling grateful at how understanding and wonderful his boyfriend is.

**Author's note:** Bah! I give up. I tried to make this sound better, but this is the best you'll get. . Sorry! If I tried to fix it to my liking, it may take forever for me to upload it. This chapter actually took me 5 rewrites. The original was all dialogues. _ Just one more chapter and an epilogue…


	12. Ch12:and for thy name, which is no part

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

**Author's note:** Sorry about the previous fake chapter post. A friend of mine had a bunch of her stories deleted before she could back them up (why she didn't have them saved before is beyond me), even though they told her she has 48 hours to delete them herself. So she ranted and I saw the petition and had to join. I really do understand why they were deleted, but I thought it wasn't fair that they didn't give her the full 48 hours they promised her. I also do agree that there should be a MA rating.

Anyway, here's the real chapter. Enjoy~

P.s. Sorry for the badly written chapter. I tried, but I couldn't get it to sound any better. T_T

* * *

><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Chapter 12: and for thy name, which is no part of thee,**

The next day found Shinichi escorting Kaito back to his house, after dropping off Hakuba at his own.

The thought of meeting Kaito's mother made him nervous. He was the reason her husband had died, had been killed. Kuroba Toichi, killed by Snake and his men, because he was looking for the legendary Pandora gem that never existed to keep it away from them. The Pandora they all were looking for was him and he knew about KID's search, but was not able to help.

"Mom, I'm home!" Kaito called out as they entered his house. "And there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Welcome back Kaito," Chikage said as she entered the living room where they waited for her. Upon seeing Shinichi, she was quiet startled that her son would bring home a well known detective to meet her, but kept the thought to herself. It doesn't seem as if her son is in police custody, so it shouldn't be that he's realized who Kaitou KID is yet. "To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting the great Kudo Shinichi?" She said pleasantly holding out her hand for him.

Shinichi took her hand in a shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Kuroba-san." He greeted smoothly, hiding away his nervousness. Next thing he knew, Kaito had him in a very tight hug from behind.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend. He helped put Snake and his gang behind bars and told me where Pandora is! Isn't he the greatest?" Kaito said excitedly.

Chikage stood with her mouth hanging, not really sure what part of anything her son said shocked her the most. When she finally regained her wits, she found herself already seated on the couch. "Kaito," She started slowly, her eyes watching Shinichi suspiciously as she spoke, "Please start from the beginning, I don't think I quiet understand what you're saying."

"Don't worry, he knows about KID and even caught Snake without the public knowing. It's why you didn't hear anything about it in the news. Even I didn't know about it until yesterday when he told me." Kaito held his mother gently in his arms, not wanting her to panic. "He's not going to put me in jail."

His mother still had her eyes on the detective, suspicion deflating a bit. "Are you sure?"

Kaito let go of his mother to stand next to her as Shinichi knelt in front of her, taking her hands, cupping them in his, "I'm sure. Kaito has done nothing worth putting behind bars." He smiled at her, "KID has stolen nothing. Everything's been returned and no one was killed. Nothing worth putting behind bars in my eyes."

Chikage took in everything he said and his unvoiced love in his beautiful blue eyes, which spoke of much past sorrow, for her son. "And what of Pandora? Where is it?"

Shinichi made a quick glance at Kaito, hesitating before looking back at her with a small amount of fear in his eyes when he finally answered. "I am Pandora, Kuroba-san. I'm sorry for all the suffering I have caused for your family. I really am." Then he told of how he knew of the first KID and what he was searching for, how he's been watching over her family in his husband's stead, how it is that he is Pandora without telling too much of the past, why he stayed quiet, and why he's decided to finally tell them about Pandora; all the while holding her hands gently.

Chikage pulled Shinichi into a hug, startling him. "You poor thing. There is nothing to be sorry for. You only did what you felt was right. It was Snake and all the other killers out there that should be sorry. Thank you for watching out for us this whole time." She said quietly to him.

He could feel the relief well up in him as she spoke, the tears falling on their own accord. His being has caused so much grief for this family, even taking someone important from them, and yet they both didn't put any blame on him. Shinichi put his arm around her to pull her into a hug and buried his face into her shoulder. "Thank you."

-*/-*/

The day of the full moon, Kaito invited Aoko and Hakuba with him to meet Shinichi at Beika Park after school. He even called Ran and asked Hattori to invite Shinichi's 'children' (Please tell them to leave their scariness at home. We wouldn't want them to scare away the kids at the park now do we?"). Kazuha couldn't make it in time from Osaka and made Hattori promise to tell her what was going on later.

Shinichi waited on a bench at the park he promised to meet Kaito at for their date and was surprised when Ran arrived. Hearing that Kaito asked her to be there, he wondered what thief was up to. Then Hattori showed up with Vermouth, Gin, Vodka, Korn, and Chianti, all dressed normally; not in their usual black trench coats. Then Hakuba and Aoko arrived, but no Kaito.

"He disappeared right when we walked into the park." Aoko huffed with her fist on her hips.

At that moment a cloud of smoke appeared before Shinichi and cleared to reveal Kaito down on one knee with a small blue velvet box held up to Shinichi.

"My mom told me to I had to do this properly if I'm to be with you the rest of my life." He grinned cheekily. "So, Kudo Shinichi, will you marry me?" He opened up the box to reveal the Eternal Heart diamond glistening in the sunlight.

Shinichi blushed as he stared at the diamond, confused and not looking at the thief. "Kaito? That's not a ring is it?"

"Of course not! It's way too big to put on a ring." He scoffed. He held the box in one hand made a ring appear in the other. "This is the ring. So…is that a yes?" He asked.

"Please tell me why you have one of KID's past heist target in your hand first."

"Mom bought it for our wedding gift. I think it fits us perfectly. It's called the Eternal Heart and it's just for you."

"Your mother bought you a billion yet diamond for you to give to me?" Shinichi said disbelievingly. "Why?"

"She really likes you and this actually belonged to a good friend of hers, so they gave it to her as thanks for all her help."

"I've only met her once." Shinichi deadpanned.

"She knows a good jewel when she sees one." He gave a wink. "So? Are you just going to leave me hanging?"

Shinichi pulled Kaito up from his kneeling position and into a hug. "Of course the answer is yes." He said quietly.

Kaito moved him to give him a kiss and cried out for the others to hear. "Yes! He said yes!" And proceed to jump for joy.

Shinichi had actually forgotten the others were there and blushed again when they came to congratulate the two.

They threw a party there at the park after the excitement died down. Vermouth pulled Vodka with her to buy the food. No one seemed to question who the older members of the group were. They were just accepted as Shinichi's friends he met on cases, or Kaito's strange friends. They mostly kept to themselves, not wanting to accidently say something unnecessary, but still enjoyed themselves, or as much as it was possible for them. Vermouth had no problem mingling with the younger crowd with her status as a famous actress. Chianti on the other hand scowled and glared at Kaito the whole time.

After the festivities and night fall came with the full moon high in the dark sky, Shinichi pulled Hattori and Kaito with him into the backyard.

"Heiji, I haven't told you yet, but if your family still want to keep track of me and be my self-proclaimed nanny-"

"Bodyguard!"

"-then you're going to need to know that you'll have Kaito to watch over too."

"Yeah, I kinda figured. We already knew and accepted that you never told us everything, but it was all to protect yourself and everyone else. So my dad and I understand. Do what you need. We stand by any decisions you make."

"Thanks, Heiji. Ready Kaito? Just to warn you, I've never done this before, so I'm not sure what will happen."

"It's fine. I trust you and I'm ready."

They both stood under the moonlight with Shinichi's body glowing a steady pink. He made a small cut on his finger with a knife and let the blood gather into a small ball on his fingertip. The three of them watched as the ball of blood glow and crystallize.

Once it finished solidifying, Shinichi placed the small rock on to Kaito's hand and told him to swallow it.

"Looks like Garnet." He said holding it up to the moon out of habit before swallowing it without hesitation. Once taken, he glowed white, slowly turning pink, then red before collapsing into Shinichi's arm.

With Heiji's help, they had Kaito back in the house and in a bed with the curtains open for the moon to shine at the glowing Kaito.

"How is he? Did it work?" Heiji asked.

"He's fine. It worked. He should be awake in the morning. Thanks Heiji. Really."

"Don't mention it. I'm use to your crazy and selfish ways. What's one more selfish request?" He gave his friend a grin, letting him know he was joking. "Though, I do feel sorry for my children for having to put up with the both of you. One was bad enough, but two?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> And the epilogue follows.


	13. Epilogue: Take all myself

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito is _not_ mine.

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><p><strong>O Pandora, Pandora, Wherefore art thou Pandora?<strong>

**Epilogue: Take all myself.**

"Wait! You're going too fast! There's no need to hurry." The occupants of the London Airport watched in amusement as a small Asian boy pull his brother along the airport.

"Of course we have to hurry, Shin-chan," The other boy huffed as he continued to pull. "The world is huge. If we want to see everything we have to hurry, because after we finish one round, we have to go again to see the changes."

"That doesn't mean we have to see Hakuba first," Whined the boy being pulled.

"Yes we do. It's his fault for being nosey and spying on us that night. I can't believe you didn't notice he was there. It's his own fault for being pulled into our problem. I can't wait to see his face when he sees us."

"I was a little preoccupied with making sure everything was right. You're probably going to give him a heart attack and have Aoko-san mop you. I'm sure he moved just to get away from you."

"It'd be worth it." Kaito said as they got on a cab. He handed the driver a paper with Hakuba's address on it. "Mommy said to go here and visit auntie and not to stop anywhere else." He said in English with a cute smile to the driver when he gave them a strange look, as it's starting to get dark and it isn't safe for kids to be out this late by themselves. The cabbie smiled in understanding and drove on. "Besides, he pulled Aoko into this." He said grudgingly.

"You have to hand it to him though. He almost didn't ask Aoko-san to marry him to protect her from the secret."

When they got off in front of a small white mansion, Kaito ran off to ring the door bell with Shinichi walking behind him.

"Yo," The mischievous boy greeted with a raised hand when a tall blond man answered the door.

Saguru stared at the two of them until recognition hit him. He hasn't seen them since his and Aoko's wedding two years ago. He knew he'd see them again, but not this soon and not with that appearance.

"Who's at the door?" A female voice came from inside the house.

Saguru slammed the door shut as quickly as he could. The two outside could hear him answer, "Just a couple of kids selling cookies."

"That was very rude Saguru. At least buy a box from them." The door opened again only to have it slammed shut once more when Aoko saw them. "You're right, we have too many cookies as is." She said behind the door.

"Ahoko! Let us in!" Kaito yelled.

"Kaito" Shinichi tugged on his sleeve.

"What Shin-chan, can't you see I'm busy," Kaito huffed and annoyed at being ignored by his best friend, "I'm trying to get us a roof to sleep under. It's our first night out and away from those two annoying nannies. There's no way I'm camping."

"Window," He said pointing to the open window not too far from the door.

"Ooo. Nice Shin-chan."

In the house, Aoko and Saguru got ready for dinner, setting their plates and food on the kitchen table. "That wasn't very nice Ahoko." They were just about ready to sit down when they heard a voice from behind them and slowly turned to see the same two boys from the door.

"How-" Saguru started. Everything should be too high up for them to reach, so they couldn't have picked their way in. Or so he thought.

"You left a window open." Shinichi stated, causing the British detective to bring his hand to his face in disbelief.

"I really didn't want to believe it when you guys first told me," Aoko said staring at the two. "But here you are, as kids, and Kaito looks exactly the same as when he was that age. Please tell me you're not going to stay here? Where's Kazuha? Should you be with them?"

"Heiji's at the hospital with Kazuha waiting for their 2nd kid to be born. We just changed a few days ago and didn't want to bother them."

"And you just decided to come here without notifying them?" Saguru exclaimed. Great, he's pretty sure any time now, he's going to get a frantic phone call from the Osakans demanding if they knew where these two were.

"No need to be upset. Geez. We're not that irresponsible. We left them a proper note with explanations."

Right. A proper note. From the former KID and the crazy detective that married KID. Most likely in riddles and clues just to drive the impatient Osakan Detective crazy. Both Aoko and Saguru, set their heads on the table in front of their dinner and groaned. They had better prepare themselves for the long and loud phone call to come. They'd call themselves if they hadn't purposefully lost all contact after moving in hopes of never having to deal with these two again.

"How did you find us anyway," Saguru asked, shifting his head to look at them.

Shinichi grinned knowingly, something Saguru probably will never forget the rest of his life. That grin is just too strange to see on a kid that young. "There's nothing you can hide from me, Hakuba-san."

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><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, alerted, and favorite this story. It means a lot to me to know that there are many people out there that like it. Especially since this is my first multi-chapter story. ^_^


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